Patterns of Pediatric Ear, Nose and Throat Disorders in a Tertiary Care Hospital of Western Nepal: A Cross-Sectional Study

Authors

  • Shiva Regmi Department of ENT, Devdaha Medical College and Research Institute, Rupandehi
  • Nagendra Chaudhary Department of Pediatrics, Universal College of Medical Sciences
  • Sandeep Shrestha Department of Pediatrics, Universal College of Medical Sciences, Bhairahawa
  • Santosh` Pathak Department of Pediatrics, Chitwan Medical College, Bharatpur
  • Badri Kumar Gupta Department of Pediatrics, Universal College of Medical Sciences, Bhairahawa
  • Ravi Swar Department of ENT, Universal College of Medical Sciences, Bhairahawa
  • Om Prakash Kurmi Population Health Research Institute, Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Division of Respirology, Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3126/jucms.v7i2.27129

Keywords:

ENT disorders, Chronic otitis media, Wax, Allergic rhinitis, Tonsillitis

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: In outpatient department (OPD) of hospital in low and middle income countries (LMICs), pediatric ear, nose and throat (ENT) disorders are common and huge variation in number is being reported in different seasons. This study aimed to study the prevalence and seasonal effect of ENT disorder in children.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: One year (Jan-Dec, 2015) retrospective data of children (0 months-17 years) visiting ENT outpatient (ENT-OPD) department at Universal College of Medical Sciences-Teaching Hospital, Nepal was analysed. Descriptive statistics were calculated to report the prevalence of ENT disorders for various sub-groups including season. In addition to quantifying the prevalence of ENT disorders in children, the seasonal influence of each disorder was analysed.

RESULTS: Out of 14,126 patients visiting the ENT-OPD, 3,423 (24.23%) were children. The mean age of children having ENT- disorders were 8.4±5.1, 10.6±4.6 and 10.7±4.7 years respectively with male-female ratio of 1.3:1.

During all seasons 2,645 (77.3%) had ear problems, 328 (9.6%) nose disorders and 450 (13.14%) throat disorders. The percentage of children with ear disorders declined significantly with increase in age unlike those with nose and throat disorders (P < 0.001). Seasonal trend analysis showed that children had significantly higher number of ear disorders during summer and autumn seasons (P <0.001) whereas nose disorders were more common in spring and winter seasons (P<0.001) with chronic otitis media and wax being the main types of ear disorders and deviated nasal septum (DNS) for nose disorders. Among the throat disorders, tonsillitis was most prevalent in all seasons followed by pharyngitis.

CONCLUSION:- The study suggests a clear seasonal trend in the prevalence of ENT disorders that can be used for advanced planning and management of the conditions in hospitals.

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Published

2019-12-31

How to Cite

Regmi, S., Chaudhary, N., Shrestha, S., Pathak, S., Gupta, B. K., Swar, R., & Kurmi, O. P. (2019). Patterns of Pediatric Ear, Nose and Throat Disorders in a Tertiary Care Hospital of Western Nepal: A Cross-Sectional Study. Journal of Universal College of Medical Sciences, 7(2), 15–20. https://doi.org/10.3126/jucms.v7i2.27129

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Section

Original Articles