Abstract

Dr. Amit Chudaman Patil* and Dr. Poonam Subhash Khairnar

ABSTRACT

Background: Otitis media (OM) refers to a group of complex infectious and inflammatory diseases affecting the middle ear. It is a common public health problem worldwide and a major cause of hearing impairment among children in developing countries.In the developing countries, there is differential prevalence among the different socioeconomic strata of the community. The objective of the study was to assess and compare demographic characteristics and modes of presentation of CSOM among tribal population and to estimate association of CSOM with hearing impairment. Methods: 80 patients with chronic suppurative otitis media who attended the ENT out patient department of a tertiary healthcare institute after taking consent were selected for the study using universal sampling technique, between January 2016 to April 2016. Results: Out of all enrolled study participants with CSOM, 60% were females and 40% were males. 40 had central perforation, 25 had subtotal perforation. Most of the cases of CSOM presented with symptoms lasting for 0-5 years (most common being 2-5 years followed by 0-2 years). Conclusions: Most of the cases from the present study belong to age group of 10-30 years. This finding shows its inclination towards younger age group.longer duration of symptoms shows degree of ignorance towards the disease. Causes of delay in attending health facilities may be due to various socio-economic factors influencing health of the tribal community, limited health resourses available for difficult to reach population.