Incidence of Complications of Unsafe Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media Presenting in a Tertiary Care Hospital at Assam, India-A Retrospective Study

Introduction: Chronic otitis media is inflammation of the middle ear cleft presenting with recurrent ear discharge through a tympanic membrane perforation. The disease spectrum ranges from mild to severe forms of complications. Complications of chronic otitis media can be extracranial or intracranial. Aim: To evaluate the demographic profile of patients with chronic otitis media and to estimate the incidence of complications in upper Assam province during a period of 5 year. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study was carried out on a total of 260 patients of chronic otitis media admitted in Ear, Nose and Throat Department, Assam Medical College and Hospital, Dibrugarh, Assam, India, during a period of 5 years from August 2016 to July 2021. The data collected were tabulated in Microsoft Excel Worksheet. The categorical variables were summarised as proportions and percentages. Results: From the records, majority (31.2%) of the cases were found in the age group of 11-20 years with a male to female ratio of 1.13. The disease was more common during the winter season (56.5%). A 13.5% cases showed complications of chronic otitis media. Mastoiditis was the most common extracranial complication (31.4%) , followed by periosteal abscesses (22.9%), facial nerve paralysis (11.4%) and labyrinthitis (5.7%). Conclusion: The early identification of symptoms by rural healthcare personnels and immediate management of unsafe chronic otitis media, to avoid complications.