Prevalence and determinants of Otitis Media in children 1 to 6 years of age: An analytical cross-sectional study

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of Otitis Media; and to assess the risk factors for Otitis media in children aged one to six years of age. Methods: This was an analytical cross-sectional study conducted in the Rural Field Practice Area (RFPA) of a tertiary healthcare facility in north India between September 2018 and December 2019. Children in the age group of 1 to 6 years presenting with acute suppurative otitis media, or sequelae of acute otitis media including Otitis media with effusion and chronic otitis media were considered as cases of Otitis media. Results: The overall prevalence rate of Otitis media was found to be 12.7%. Regarding the distribution of types of Otitis media, it was found that 36.8% had Otitis media with effusion, 34.2% had eustachian tube catarrh, 21.1% had Chronic suppurative otitis media – Tubotympanic disease (CSOM-TTD), and 7.9% had Acute suppurative otitis media (ASOM), in that order. We found that age less than three years (or 36 months) (OR 2.86, 95% CI 1.92 to 3.45); living in a kutcha house (OR 1.91, 95% CI 1.04 to 3.74); malnutrition, that is weight for age <-2SD from reference median (OR 3.18, 95% CI 1.76 to 5.58); breastfeeding for less than six months (OR 2.24, 95% CI 1.30 to 4.88); and persistent rhinorrhoea (OR 2.78, 95% CI 1.56 to 4.33) were significant predictors of Otitis media among children one to six years of age (p<0.05). Conclusion: Efforts should focus on improving housing conditions, promoting breastfeeding practices, addressing malnutrition, and managing respiratory symptoms effectively

Cochlear implantation surgery in prelingually deaf children – Hearing and speech outcomes

Objectives: The objective of the present study was to assess the hearing and speech outcomes of prelingually deaf children who underwent cochlear implantation surgery in a tertiary healthcare facility; disaggregated by age and gender. Methods: This was an observational prospective study conducted in the Department of Paediatrics and Otorhinolaryngology of a tertiary healthcare facility in western India between June 2019 and May 2020. We enrolled all children between 1 and 6 years of age with bilaterally prelingual deafness (with no benefit using bearing aid) who underwent cochlear implantation surgery at the tertiary healthcare facility. Results: The results showed that the Categories of Auditory Performance (CAP) scale score (MD 1.52, 95% CI 1.24 to 1.80), Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale (MAIS) scores (MD 7.51, 95% CI 5.59 to 9.42), Speech Intelligibility Rating Scale (SIR) scores (MD 1.68, 95% CI 1.37 to 1.99), and Meaningful Use of Speech Scale (MUSS) scores (MD 9.02, 95% CI 7.59 to 10.45) significantly (p0.05). Conclusion: The findings indicate that younger children (1-3 years) tend to achieve better outcomes compared to older children (3-6 years) highlighting the importance of early cochlear implantation for optimizing auditory performance, better speech intelligibility and meaningful auditory integration in prelingually deaf children