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. 2021 Nov;165(5):710-715.
doi: 10.1177/0194599820987458. Epub 2021 Jan 26.

Effects of COVID-19 Lockdown on Otitis Media With Effusion in Children: Future Therapeutic Implications

Mirko Aldè  1   2 , Federica Di Berardino  1   2 , Paola Marchisio  3   4 , Giovanna Cantarella  1   5 , Umberto Ambrosetti  1   2 , Dario Consonni  6 , Diego Zanetti  2
Affiliations

Effects of COVID-19 Lockdown on Otitis Media With Effusion in Children: Future Therapeutic Implications

Mirko Aldè et al. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2021 Nov.

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the role of social isolation during the lockdown due to the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) in modifying the prevalence of otitis media with effusion (OME) and the natural history of chronic OME.

Study design: Retrospective study.

Setting: Tertiary level referral audiologic center.

Methods: We assessed the prevalence of OME among children aged 6 months to 12 years who attended the outpatient clinic for hearing or vestibular disorders during 2 periods before the lockdown, May-June 2019 (n = 350) and January-February 2020 (n = 366), and the period immediately after the lockdown, May-June 2020 (n = 216). We also compared the disease resolution rates between a subgroup of children with chronic OME (n = 30) who were diagnosed in summer 2019 and reevaluated in May-June 2020 and a similar subgroup (n = 29) assessed in 2018-2019.

Results: The prevalence of OME in this clinic population was 40.6% in May-June 2019, 52.2% in January-February 2020, and 2.3% in May-June 2020. Children with chronic OME had a higher rate of disease resolution in May-June 2020 (93.3%) than those examined in May-June 2019 (20.7%, P < .001).

Conclusion: Closure of schools and the physical distancing rules were correlated with a reduction in the prevalence of OME and favored the resolution of its chronic forms among children who attended the outpatient clinic. These data could suggest that in the presence of chronic OME, keeping young children out of group care settings for a period might be beneficial to allow for OME resolution.

Keywords: COVID-19; children; day care attendance; lockdown; otitis media with effusion; physical distancing.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosures: Competing interests: None.

Sponsorships: None.

Funding source: None.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Prevalence of type B tympanograms by age between (A) males and (B) females, comparing May-June 2019 and May-June 2020.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Normalization of type B tympanograms in the 2 subgroups of children who were diagnosed with chronic otitis media with effusion, comparing May-June 2019 and May-June 2020.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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