FREQUENCY OF OTITIS MEDIA WITH EFFUSION IN RECURRENT UPPER RESPIRATORY TRACT INFECTION IN CHILDREN

Worldwide it is estimated that 330 million individuals suffer from ear infections, of which around 60% have hearing loss capabilit. It’s terrific prevalence has led to challenges with public health in both developed and developing countries. Objective: The aim of the current study was to explore the Frequency of Otitis Media with Effusion in Recurrent Upper Respiratory Tract Infection in Children. Methodology: The current study was conducted at the ENT and head and neck department Bolan medical college Quetta from December 2022 to September 2023 after taking the approval from the ethical committee of the institute. Children of both gender age range from 3-12 years who visited the OPD were enrolled.  To determine whether there was fluid in the middle ear, tympanometry was used. To determine the degree of deafness, (PTA) and tuning-fork tests were performed. The history, clinical assessment, pneumatic otoscopic examination, and tympanometry were used to make the diagnosis. SPSS (version 24.0) was used to gather and analyze the data. Results: A total of 354 children of different age groups and both gender were included in the current study. Of these 195 (55.0%) were male and 159(44.9%) were females. The age range was 3 to 12 years, with a mean of 56.4 months. Pneumatic otoscopy was carried out. Of the 354 individuals, 150 (42.37 %,) had a dulled tympanic membrane and a lost light cone. Of the 150 instances, 113(75.3%) had a tympanic membrane that had retracted. In 26(17.3%) individuals there was tympanic membrane bulging. The tympanic membrane was dull in just 11(7.33%) of the cases, the 115 individuals with retracted tympanic membranes displayed bubbles in 23(9.5%) of the cases, fluid level behind the membrane in 31(26.9%) of the cases, bluish as well as black discoloration in 3(2.6%) of the cases, and retraction with a prominent lateral process in 58(50.4%) individuals. In 146(97.3%) individuals, tympanometry revealed a flat type-B curve, indicating the presence of fluid behind the tympanic membrane. Tests using a 512-Hz tuning fork with a foot plate were conducted. Out of 150 participants, 123(82.0%) had negative results on Rinnie's test. 45 (30%) individuals were lost to follow-up. Out of the rest 103 cases, 92 (87.6%) cases revealed spontaneous resolution within 3 months. Conclusion: The current study explored that Children with repeated upper respiratory tract infections develop otitis media with effusion most frequently (42.3%).