Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40025182›Full record

ArticleEuropean archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery2025

Shifting patterns of acute otitis media and mastoiditis through COVID-19 Era: analysis of pre-pandemic, pandemic, and post-pandemic dynamics.

Moriah Peyser-Rosenberg, Ayalon Hadar, Nitzan Sofer, Jean-Yves Sichel, Ronen Perez, Pierre Attal, Chanan Shaul

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Article in European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Moriah Peyser-RosenbergDepartment of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, The Faculty of Medicine, Shaare-Zedek Medical Center, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, 3235, 91031, Israel.
Ayalon HadarDepartment of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, The Faculty of Medicine, Shaare-Zedek Medical Center, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, 3235, 91031, Israel.
Nitzan SoferDepartment of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, The Faculty of Medicine, Shaare-Zedek Medical Center, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, 3235, 91031, Israel.
Jean-Yves SichelDepartment of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, The Faculty of Medicine, Shaare-Zedek Medical Center, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, 3235, 91031, Israel.
Ronen PerezDepartment of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, The Faculty of Medicine, Shaare-Zedek Medical Center, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, 3235, 91031, Israel.
Pierre AttalDepartment of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, The Faculty of Medicine, Shaare-Zedek Medical Center, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, 3235, 91031, Israel.
Chanan ShaulDepartment of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, The Faculty of Medicine, Shaare-Zedek Medical Center, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, 3235, 91031, Israel. hananshaul@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7064-0781

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on acute otitis media (AOM) and acute mastoiditis (AM) by analyzing longitudinal changes in disease incidence, clinical presentations, complications, and microbial patterns across pre-pandemic, pandemic, and post-pandemic periods.

methodsA retrospective cohort study examining pediatric AOM and AM cases (age ≤ 15 years) at a tertiary medical center between March 2015 and February 2024. Cases were categorized into three periods: pre-COVID (March 2015-February 2020), lockdown (March 2020-February 2021), and post-lockdown (March 2021-February 2024). We assessed disease incidence, microbiology, complications, and clinical outcomes.

resultsAmong 6,673 patients (6,221 AOM, 452 AM), AOM cases significantly decreased during lockdown (301/year) vs. pre-COVID (658/year) (p = 0.041) but returned to baseline in post-lockdown (758/year). AM showed similar trends without statistical significance. Complications of AM per case were highest during lockdown (0.52) vs. pre-COVID (0.39), with increased mastoidectomy rates (28% vs. 18.4%). Positive culture rates increased post-COVID (52.7-73.7%), and mean hospitalization duration was longest during lockdown (8.56 days vs. 7.96 pre-COVID, p = 0.005).

conclusionsThe COVID-19 pandemic induced a significant temporary reduction in acute otitis media and acute mastoiditis cases, primarily during lockdown periods. Despite the initial decrease, disease incidence returned to pre-pandemic baseline levels post-lockdown. Notably, the lockdown period showed higher complication rates and longer hospitalization durations, suggesting potential delays in medical care, but overall disease patterns remained fundamentally unchanged.

Indexed as

COVID-19MastoiditisOtitis MediaAcute DiseaseAdolescentChildChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansIncidenceInfantMalePandemicsRetrospective StudiesSARS-CoV-2Acute mastoiditisAcute otitis mediaCOVID-19Pandemic impactPediatric infections

Identifiers

PMID40025182

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.