Otitis media seen in Yekatit 12 Hospital

Two thousand three hundred and thirty four selected patients with ear probl em were seen in one of the ENT outpatients department of Yekatit 12 Hospita l from September 1994 to August 1996 were prospectively studied. Most of th e patients came from Addis Ababa. Major clinical presentations were ear pai n, purulent ear discharge, uni or bilateral decreased hearing ability. Pati ents were carefully evaluated by physical examination, otoscopy examination of the ear, schuilers view of the mastoid bone, audiometry findings and pu s culture results. Diagnosis of these patients revealed that 1,630 (69.8%) had otitis while the rest 704 (30.16%) had other ear problems like ear wax, tinnitus and otitis external. One hundred two hundred thirty two patients (52.8%) had chronic otitis media with purulent discharge and decreased hear ing ability, while 245 patients (10.5%) had chronic otitis media with out p urulent discharge but with decreased hearing ability. Ninety six patients ( 4.1%)had acute otitis media and 57 patients (2.4%) had chronic seromucinous otitis media with decreased hearing ability. ne micro-organisms identified include klebsiella spp. (28.97%), E. Coli (10.7%), Citrobacter (3.6%), Aci netobacter (4.7%), S. aureus (3.57%), P. Valgaris (4.3%), S.Epidermidis (4. 54%)and Dephtheroids (7.3%). Eighty nine patients with acute otitis media w ere completely cured and regained their hearing ability, the rest did not r egain their hearing ability despite treatment. A combination of antibiotics and surgical treatment is recognized as the most effective intervention in this situation. The management of the chronic draining ear are:1). To achi eve a clean healed dry ear, 2) to obtain an air - containing middle ear spa ce, 3) to rehabilitate hearing. The Prevention of deafness and treatment of chronic draining ear disease especially in children is surgery which is no t yet fully practiced in our centers.