Burden of Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media and Hearing Loss among Primary and Secondary School Children – A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: Chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) is a chronic inflammation of the middle ear with perforation of the tympanic membrane and frequent or continuous discharge from the ear, typically resulting in hearing loss. The aim of this study is to ascertain the burden of hearing loss and chronic suppurative otitis media in children in primary and secondary schools. Methods & Materials: It was a cross-sectional survey conducted between January 2024 to December 2024 in 76 children who were 6-16 years of age, studying in primary and secondary schools, in North Bengal Medical College & Hospital to assess the burden of chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) and hearing loss following it. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 26.0. Result: In the current study of 76 school children with a mean age of 10.8 ± 2.9 years, 35.5% of them had chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) with a majority being unilateral (81.5%) and tubotympanic type (77.8%). Duration of discharge from the ear was 2.4 ± 1.1 years. In 92.6% of the infected children, impaired hearing was described primarily as mild to moderate conductive impairment (85.2%), averaging 38.4 ± 9.2 dB in hearing threshold, indicating heavy disease burden and accompanying auditory deficit in this subgroup. Conclusion: This study sets a colossal burden of chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) and associated hearing loss in primary and secondary school children with a prevalence rate of 35.5% and hearing impairment observed in 92.6% of the cases.