Otitis media with effusion in children aged 2–12 years attending the paediatric clinic at Mulago National Referral Hospital, a Ugandan tertiary hospital: a cross-sectional study

• Published in: BMC pediatrics 2022-06, Vol.22 (1), p.1-357, Article 357
• Main Authors: Bamaraki, Kabagambe, Namwagala, Justine, Hidour, Rym, Bambi, Emma Nsalazi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age groups; Associated factors; Bacterial infections; Care and treatment; Causes of; Children; Complications and side effects; Cross-sectional studies; Development and progression; Ear diseases; Eardrum; Ears & hearing; Epidemiology; Health aspects; Hearing loss; Medical referrals; Multivariate analysis; Otitis media with effusion; Pediatric clinics; Pediatrics; Prevalence; Services
• ISSN: 1471-2431; 1471-2431
• DOI: 10.1186/s12887-022-03408-w

Background Otitis media with effusion (OME) is common in children aged between 6 months to 4 years, and it is one of the causes of hearing loss (HL) in children worldwide. OME is a type of inflammation of the middle ear in which there is a collection of fluid. The latter causes HL which interferes with speech and language development, communication skills, school performance, psychosocial skills, and quality of life of children. Methods This was a prospective cross-sectional study on 246 children aged 2 -12 years, attending the Mulago National Referral Hospital (MNRH). A consecutive sampling procedure was used to reach each participant under ethical considerations until the sample size was reached. All children aged 2-12 years who meet inclusion criteria were examined first by the Pediatrician and then by the Principal Investigator. Patients with tympanogram type B (flat curve) were diagnosed to have OME. The prevalence of OME was summarized as a proportion and multivariate analysis was used to determine the factors associated with OME. Data were analyzed using the STATA version 13.0. Results A total of 246 children were recruited for the study. Of the 246 children, 60% were male. The median age of the participants was 4.8 [+ or -] 2.8 years. The prevalence of OME was found to be 11%. Upper respiratory tract infections (URTI), recurrent AOM (p = 0.005, OR:5.14, 95% CI: 1.66-15.96), and snoring (p = 0.000, OR: 6.32, 95% CI: 2.32-17.26) were found to be strongly associated with OME in children aged 2-12 years attending the Mulago National Referral Hospital. Conclusions The prevalence of OME among children aged 2-12 years attending MNRH was found to be 11%. There is an association between OME and URTI, recurrent AOM, and snoring in children aged 2-12 years attending MNRH. Keywords: Otitis media with effusion, Hearing loss, Children, Prevalence, Associated factors