Abstract
Background: Chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) is, by far, the major public health problem that continues to afflict children of developing countries.
Objective: This research work was aimed at analyzing the demographic, clinical, and risk factor profiles of children suffering from CSOM who came to a tertiary care hospital.
Methods: The study involved a descriptive cross-sectional design, and the setting of the research was ENT Department of Chandka Medical College Teaching Hospital, Larkana. The time frame of this study was six months. Data on sociodemographic characteristics and hygiene, nutrition, and associated ENT disorders were obtained from 98 CSOM diagnosed children aged 5-15 years through structured questionnaires and clinical examinations.
Results: The average age of the participants was 9.91±3.16 years, and out of them, 55.1% had been males. The percentage of urban and rural people was 52% and 48%, respectively, which were almost equal. The middle and poor socioeconomic classes accounted for the highest numbers of cases at 37.8% and 33.7%, respectively. Half of the patients were suffering from malnutrition, and nearly the same number of patients had poor hygiene. Most of the patients had mucopurulent discharge (53.1%) and tympanic membrane perforations (50%) of their ears. One-third of the children (35.7%) exhibited bilateral involvement of CSOM. Most frequently observed comorbidity was sinusitis in 61.2%. The major risk factors were maternal illiteracy (58.2%) and bottle feeding (44.9%).
Conclusion: The occurrence of CSOM in children may be attributed to various factors such as poor hygiene, poverty, lack of nutrients, exposure to the environment, and sinonasal comorbidities.