Pattern of Ear, Nose and Throat Diseases in Addis Ababa

Abstract

Abstract
Background: Estimate of Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) diseases is not well documented in Ethiopia. This paper describes the pattern of ear, nose, and throat diseases among patients who attended the ENT unit at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The purpose of this research was to provide policymakers and health planners with a description of the pattern of ENT diseases in Addis Ababa.
Methodology: Analysis of medical records of patients who visited the Outpatient Department (OPD) of the ENT Unit of Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital from September 2014 to July 2016 was conducted. Socio-demographic and disease information including age, gender, region of residence, type of visit, diagnosis, and the number of visits were retrieved from OPD records. Descriptive analysis of the pattern of ENT diseases was conducted. The pattern was also disaggregated and presented by gender, age, and type of visit (new/repeat).
Result: A total of 12,268 OPD records were included in the analysis. About half of patients attending the unit were children under 18 years of age while 54% of them were male. On average, each patient visited the unit 2.2 times in about two years period. The most common diagnoses were adenotonsillar hypertrophy (ATH), (32.8%) and otitis media (24.9%).
Conclusion: In this study, it is found that adenotonsillar hypertrophy (ATH) and otitis media are the most common ENT diseases among children under the age of 18 years. We recommend consideration of ATH and otitis media as a priority public health problem among children. We also recommend a community-level prevalence study for designing interventions targeting these priority ENT diseases.
[Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2021; 35(3): 281-286]
Key Words: Ear, nose and throat; ENT; Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital; Ethiopia