Increased Incidence of Surgical Intervention for Otitis Media With Effusion Among Patients With Type 2 Inflammatory Diseases.

BACKGROUND

Otitis media with effusion (OME) is associated with comorbidities such as allergic rhinitis, gastroesophageal reflux disease, asthma, and more. Many of these comorbidities can be caused by type 2 inflammation (T2I). This study aims to determine the risk of undergoing OME surgery in patients with and without T2I disease.

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether T2I disease is associated with an increased incidence of OME surgery.

METHODS

This retrospective, matched-cohort study involved the retrospective recruitment of patients with T2I disease (n = 31,603) and non-T2I disease (n = 31,603) from 2010 to 2019, using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. Statistical analyses were performed using t tests, Cox proportional regression models, Kaplan-Meier estimators, and log-rank tests.

RESULTS

Among patients with OME, those with T2I disease had a greater risk of undergoing OME surgery, with an adjusted hazard ratio of 9.84 (95% confidence interval [CI], 8.90-10.88), than those without T2I disease. The adjusted relative risk for the number of OME surgeries in patients with T2I disease was 11.14 (95% CI, 10.30-12.05). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed consistently higher cumulative incidence curves in patients with T2I disease throughout the follow-up period (log-rank test: P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

OME patients with T2I disease had a significantly higher incidence of undergoing surgery due to failed conservative treatment, indicating that T2I may play an important role in middle ear disorders. Further research on this topic should be considered significant and worthy of investigation.