Inflammatory markers as determinants of glue-type effusion and recurrent ventilation tube placement

Otitis media with effusion (OME) is a common cause of conductive hearing loss, and the role of CBC-derived systemic inflammatory indices in predicting clinical outcomes in adults remains unclear. To evaluate whether systemic inflammatory indices predict effusion type and recurrent ventilation tube (VT) insertion in adults.

This retrospective study included 215 adults undergoing VT insertion and 233 healthy controls. Hematological parameters and inflammatory indices were compared. Logistic regression analyses adjusted for age and sex were performed to identify independent predictors. ROC curve analysis assessed discriminative performance.

All inflammatory indices were significantly higher in patients than controls (p < 0.001). The glue-type effusion group had higher SII (p = 0.016), SIRI (p = 0.029), neutrophil count (p = 0.034), and MLR (p = 0.046). Recurrent VT insertion was associated with higher neutrophil count (p = 0.022) and NLR (p = 0.033). In multivariable analyses, SII independently predicted glue-type effusion (OR = 1.049 per 100 units, p = 0.015), while neutrophil count predicted recurrent VT insertion (OR = 1.228, p = 0.007). AUC values indicated modest discriminative performance (0.58-0.62).

Systemic inflammatory indices are associated with effusion type and recurrent VT insertion in adult OME.