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Acute otitis media (AOM) is typically a condition that resolves without long-term sequelae. However, it may be associated with complications. These can range from local complications such as involvement of the inner ear, potentially leading to persistent hearing loss, to severe intracranial complications such as otogenic meningitis and intracranial abscess formation, which can, in extreme cases, result in mortality.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused widespread changes in healthcare utilization, infection control measures, and respiratory infection patterns, potentially affecting the incidence and characteristics of otitis media. In 2022/2023, an increased incidence of complications from AOM and sinusitis in children has been reported in hospitals in Germany (1). A statistically significant increase in complicated otologic infections requiring surgical intervention in the post-pandemic period compared to the pandemic period was also observed in a tertiary referral center in Switzerland.
Since 2022, we also have recorded an increased number of cases of AOM with complications at our clinic.
It is hypothesized that since the lifting of isolation measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a significantly increased incidence of AOM with complications.
This study aims to investigate the validity of this assumption.
The scientific relevance of this study lies in gaining a better understanding of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the etiopathogenesis of AOM, such as changes in the spectrum of pathogens and changes in the severity of its complications.