Influence of COVID-19 pandemic on otitis media with effusion in children: A multicenter, retrospective survey in northern Japan

Yuki Kishima; Ryoukichi Ikeda; Iori Kusaka; Ryohei Akanabe; Daiki Onodera; Shinichi Oikawa; Takuya Yoshida; Yuta Kobayashi; Jun Suzuki; Aya Katsura; Katsunori Katagiri; Kiyoto Shiga

doi:10.1016/j.ijporl.2024.111904

Influence of COVID-19 pandemic on otitis media with effusion in children: A multicenter, retrospective survey in northern Japan

Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2024 Mar:178:111904. doi: 10.1016/j.ijporl.2024.111904. Epub 2024 Feb 29.

Authors

Yuki Kishima¹, Ryoukichi Ikeda², Iori Kusaka³, Ryohei Akanabe⁴, Daiki Onodera⁵, Shinichi Oikawa⁶, Takuya Yoshida⁷, Yuta Kobayashi⁸, Jun Suzuki⁹, Aya Katsura¹⁰, Katsunori Katagiri¹¹, Kiyoto Shiga¹²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Iwate Medical University, School of Medicine, Shiwa, Japan. Electronic address: kishi0615@gmail.com.
² Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Iwate Medical University, School of Medicine, Shiwa, Japan. Electronic address: ryoukich@hotmail.com.
³ Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Iwate Medical University, School of Medicine, Shiwa, Japan. Electronic address: strikecosmos@gmail.com.
⁴ Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Iwate Medical University, School of Medicine, Shiwa, Japan. Electronic address: hornistetsu@gmail.com.
⁵ Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Iwate Medical University, School of Medicine, Shiwa, Japan. Electronic address: yakult2896yakult@gmail.com.
⁶ Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Iwate Medical University, School of Medicine, Shiwa, Japan. Electronic address: shioikawa@iwate-med.ac.jp.
⁷ Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Japan. Electronic address: taku.yoshi.1213@gmail.com.
⁸ Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Japan. Electronic address: yuta.kobayashi.med@gmail.com.
⁹ Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Japan. Electronic address: j.suzuki1212@gmail.com.
¹⁰ Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Iwate Medical University, School of Medicine, Shiwa, Japan. Electronic address: ayeah.sasakin.yam@gmail.com.
¹¹ Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Iwate Medical University, School of Medicine, Shiwa, Japan. Electronic address: kats460129@yahoo.co.jp.
¹² Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Iwate Medical University, School of Medicine, Shiwa, Japan. Electronic address: kshiga@iwate-med.ac.jp.

PMID: 38432029
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijporl.2024.111904

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study is to compare patient trends in otitis media with effusion (OME) symptoms and diagnoses before and after the COVID-19 pandemic in order to investigate the effects of the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19).

Methods: A retrospective, multi-center, observational study was carried out between January 2018 and December 2022 at hospitals in the Iwate Prefecture with full-time doctors. All patients were initially separated into two groups, one for the pre-COVID-19 era (from January 2018 to June 2020), and the other for the COVID-19 era (from July 2020 to December 2022).

Results: In the pre-COVID-19 era, 132 patients had tympanostomy tubes (TT) placed, while 64 patients had them placed in the COVID-19 era. Between the pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 eras, there were no statistically significant differences in terms of age, sex, side, craniofacial deformity, or adenoidectomy. Children in elementary school showed a greater decline than those in preschool (42-11 patients in elementary school (74%) and 49 to 32 patients in preschool school (35%); p = 0.025).

Conclusions: The percentage of TT placements for OME dropped to roughly half during the COVID-19 epidemic. This was particularly obvious in elementary school students.

Keywords: Adenotomy; Cleft palate; Tympanostomy; Ventilation tube.

Publication types

Observational Study
Multicenter Study

MeSH terms

COVID-19*
Child
Child, Preschool
Female
Humans
Japan / epidemiology
Male
Middle Ear Ventilation
Otitis Media with Effusion* / epidemiology
Otitis Media with Effusion* / surgery
Pandemics
Retrospective Studies