Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence of otitis media with effusion in adults and children: a multicenter study

Giannicola Iannella; Giuseppe Magliulo; Jerome R Lechien; Antonino Maniaci; Tiziano Perrone; Pier Carlo Frasconi; Andrea De Vito; Chiara Martone; Salvatore Ferlito; Salvatore Cocuzza; Giovanni Cammaroto; Giuseppe Meccariello; Valentina Monticone; Antonio Greco; Marco de Vincentiis; Massimo Ralli; Vincenzo Savastano; Serena Bertin; Annalisa Pace; Alessandro Milani; Roberta Polimeni; Stefano Pelucchi; Andrea Ciorba; Claudio Vicini

doi:10.1007/s00405-021-06958-4

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence of otitis media with effusion in adults and children: a multicenter study

Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2022 May;279(5):2383-2389. doi: 10.1007/s00405-021-06958-4. Epub 2021 Jul 4.

Authors

Giannicola Iannella^{1

2}, Giuseppe Magliulo³, Jerome R Lechien⁴, Antonino Maniaci⁵, Tiziano Perrone⁶, Pier Carlo Frasconi⁷, Andrea De Vito⁸, Chiara Martone⁸, Salvatore Ferlito⁵, Salvatore Cocuzza⁵, Giovanni Cammaroto⁷, Giuseppe Meccariello⁷, Valentina Monticone⁹, Antonio Greco³, Marco de Vincentiis³, Massimo Ralli³, Vincenzo Savastano³, Serena Bertin³, Annalisa Pace³, Alessandro Milani³, Roberta Polimeni³, Stefano Pelucchi⁶, Andrea Ciorba⁶, Claudio Vicini^{7

6}

Affiliations

¹ Otolaryngology, Head-Neck and Oral Surgery Unit, Department of Head-Neck Surgery, Morgagni Pierantoni Hospital, Via Carlo Forlanini, 34, 47121, Forli, Italy. giannicolaiannella@hotmail.it.
² Department of 'Organi di Senso', University "Sapienza", Viale dell'Università, 33, 00185, Rome, Italy. giannicolaiannella@hotmail.it.
³ Department of 'Organi di Senso', University "Sapienza", Viale dell'Università, 33, 00185, Rome, Italy.
⁴ Laboratory of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Mons (UMONS), Avenue du Champ de mars, 6, 7000, Mons, Belgium.
⁵ Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies "GF Ingrassia", ENT Section, University of Catania, Via S. Sofia, 78, 95125, Catania, Italy.
⁶ Department ENT and Audiology, University of Ferrara, Via Savonarola, 9, 44121, Ferrara, Italy.
⁷ Otolaryngology, Head-Neck and Oral Surgery Unit, Department of Head-Neck Surgery, Morgagni Pierantoni Hospital, Via Carlo Forlanini, 34, 47121, Forli, Italy.
⁸ Otolaryngology, Head-Neck and Oral Surgery Unit, Department of Head-Neck Surgery, Ospedale "Santa Maria Delle Croci", Viale Vincenzo Randi, 5, 48121, Ravenna, Italy.
⁹ Otolaryngology Department, Azienda Sanitaria Locale CN2, Alba, Italy.

Abstract

Purpose: To compare and analyze the incidence of otitis media with effusion (OME), before and during the COVID-19-related pandemic period, to evaluate the effects of the social changes (lockdown, continuous use of facial masks, social distancing, reduction of social activities) in the OME incidence in children and adults.

Methods: The number of diagnosed OME in e five referral centers, between 1 March 2018 and 1 March 2021, has been reviewed and collected. To estimate the reduction of OME incidence in children and adults during the COVID-19 pandemic period the OME incidence in three period of time were evaluated and compared: group 1-patients with OME diagnosis achieved between 1/03/2018 and 01/03/2019 (not pandemic period). Group 2-patients with OME diagnosis achieved between 1/03/2019 and 1/03/2020 (not pandemic period). Group 3-patients with OME diagnosis achieved between 1/03/2020 and 1/03/2021 (COVID-19 pandemic period).

Results: In the non-pandemic periods (group 1 and 2), the incidence of OME in the five referral centers considered was similar, with 482 and 555 diagnosed cases, respectively. In contrast, the OME incidence in the same centers, during the pandemic period (group 3) was clearly reduced with a lower total number of 177 cases of OME estimated. Percentage variation in OME incidence between the first non-pandemic year considered (group 1) and the pandemic period (group 3) was-63, 3%, with an absolute value decrease value of-305 cases. Similarly, comparing the second non-pandemic year (group 2) and the pandemic year (group 3) the percentage variation of OME incidence was-68, 1% with an absolute value of-305 cases decreased.

Conclusions: Our findings showed a lower incidence of OME during the pandemic period compared with 2 previous non pandemic years. The drastic restrictive anti-contagion measures taken by the Italian government to contain the spread of COVID-19 could have had a positive impact on the lower OME incidence during the last pandemic year.

Keywords: COVID-19; Eustachian tube dysfunction; OME; Otitis media effusion; Upper airways respiratory infections.

Publication types

Multicenter Study

MeSH terms

Adult
COVID-19* / epidemiology
Child
Communicable Disease Control
Humans
Incidence
Otitis Media with Effusion* / surgery
Pandemics