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Trends in Pediatric Acute Otitis Media Burden During the First COVID-19 Year

Tal Marom, Yehuda Schwarz, Ofer Gluck

  • 1Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.

Otology & Neurotology : Official Publication of the American Otological Society, American Neurotology Society [And] European Academy of Otology and Neurotology
|July 25, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Pediatric emergency department visits for acute otitis media (AOM) significantly decreased during the first year of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This reduction was most notable in younger children, coinciding with public health measures.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Emergency Medicine
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Acute otitis media (AOM) is a common pediatric illness leading to emergency department (PED) visits.
  • The emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prompted widespread public health interventions, including lockdowns and school closures.
  • The impact of these measures on pediatric healthcare utilization for common infections like AOM was previously unquantified.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze changes in pediatric emergency department (PED) visits and hospital admissions for acute otitis media (AOM) before and during the initial year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • To compare AOM-related healthcare encounters across different pediatric age groups.
  • To assess the correlation between public health interventions and AOM visit/admission rates.

Main Methods:

  • A retrospective case review of children under 18 years old treated for AOM and all-cause conditions at a secondary care center.
  • Data collection spanned three years, including two pre-pandemic years and the first COVID-19 year (March 2018-February 2021).
  • Statistical analysis using generalized estimating equations with negative binomial regression was employed to calculate incidence rate ratios (IRRs), controlling for monthly variations.

Main Results:

  • Annual AOM PED visits and admissions decreased significantly from pre-COVID-19 levels (517 & 256) to the COVID-19 year (192 & 94).
  • Children aged 0-2 years experienced a substantial decline in AOM visits/admissions during the COVID-19 year compared to pre-pandemic periods (IRR 0.33 for visits, 0.33 for admissions).
  • A significant reduction in AOM admissions was also observed in children aged 2-6 years (IRR 0.18), while no significant changes were noted in older children (6-18 years) due to sample size limitations.

Conclusions:

  • The overall burden of pediatric acute otitis media presenting to emergency departments substantially decreased during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Public health interventions associated with COVID-19 appear to have significantly reduced AOM-related healthcare encounters in young children.
  • Further research may explore the long-term effects and specific contributing factors to this observed decline.
Abstract

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