Upper airway obstructions and chronic otitis media: a clinical study

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Respiratory Medicine

Background:

• Chronic otitis media (CSOM) is a common ear condition.
• Upper airway obstructions can impact respiratory health.
• The relationship between CSOM and upper airway pathologies requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if upper airway obstruction pathologies correlate with chronic otitis media.
• To investigate the association between nasal septal deviation and CSOM subtypes.

Main Methods:

• A case-control study involving 114 patients with CSOM and 114 healthy controls.
• Assessment of nasal septal deviation, Friedman, and Mallampati scores for upper airway obstructions.
• Comparison of septal deviation prevalence and airway obstruction scores between CSOM subtypes (tubotympanic, atticoantral) and controls.

Main Results:

• Septal deviation occurred more frequently on the same side as the ear pathology in patients with tubotympanic CSOM (p=0.0005).
• No significant difference in septal deviation was found between controls and patients with atticoantral CSOM (p=0.718).
• No significant differences in Mallampati or Friedman scores were observed between patient groups and controls.

Conclusions:

• Septal deviations may frequently co-occur on the same side as chronic otitis media.
• Careful preoperative assessment for septal deviations is recommended for CSOM patients.
• Further large-scale trials are necessary to elucidate a potential causal relationship.