Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence of acute mastoiditis in a tertiary reference children's hospital in Brazil.

OBJECTIVES

To compare the incidence of AM hospitalizations and complications across three periods: pre-pandemic, pandemic, and post-pandemic. Additionally, the study aims to evaluate associations with patient age, need for surgical intervention, antibiotic therapy, and isolated etiological agents.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study reviewed pediatric charts from three 22-month periods: pre-pandemic (P1), pandemic (P2), and post-pandemic (P3). These periods were compared in terms of case numbers, presence and severity of AM complications, patient demographics (age and sex), and treatment approaches.

RESULTS

A total of 9 AM cases were recorded in (P1), 5 in the (P2), and 25 in (P3). This represents a 25.5 % reduction in AM incidence during the pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period, though this was not statistically significant (p = 0.8027). However, a significant 103.3 % increase in AM incidence was noted between the pre- and post-pandemic periods (p = 0.0322). No significant differences were found among periods regarding age, sex, complications, case severity, surgical intervention, antibiotic duration, or length of hospitalization.

CONCLUSION

Although AM incidence slightly declined during the pandemic, the post-pandemic period showed a significant rise in the incidence of cases compared to pre-pandemic values.