Prevalence of Allergic Indicators in Patients with Chronic Otitis Media: A Case-Control Study

Chronic Otitis Media (COM) was a persistent inflammation of the middle ear that often leads to prolonged effusion and hearing loss. It was a significant health concern, particularly in children, due to its impact on speech development and academic performance. Objective: To investigate the association between allergies and Chronic Otitis Media (COM) by assessing allergy positivity, blood eosinophil levels, and skin prick test results in patients with COM compared to healthy controls. Methods: It was a cross-sectional, case-control study conducted at Shahida Islam Medical Complex from August 2023 to January 2024. 112 patients suffering from COM in case groups and 112 participants were taken as healthy control were selected. The positivity of allergy, increase in blood eosinophils and, skin prick test was assessed. The data analysis was conducted using the SPSS version 24.00. The p-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results: The mean age of participants in the case group was 37.4 years ± 12.6 and control groups was 38.9 years ± 10.9. The prevalence of positive skin prick tests in the case group at 56.25%, compared to 36.61% in the control group (p = 0.01). Blood eosinophil counts were significantly higher in the case group (0.39 ± 0.15 cells x 10-3 µl) than in the control group (0.23 ± 0.11 cells x 10-3 µl) (p = 0.031). The positivity rate for allergies, based on clinical assessment, was significantly higher among patients in the case group (63.39%) compared to those in the control group (24.11%) (p = 0.04). Conclusion: Findings of this suggests that there was strong association between allergies and chronic otitis media in patients