Pattern of Complications of Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media in Sokoto, Northwestern Nigeria

Background: Chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) is a potentially serious disease because of its complications. The use of antibiotics has played a significant role in the management of CSOM and its complications, and this has made otitic complications increasingly infrequent, but they are still encountered, and early recognition of clinical symptom of a complicated CSOM and prompt treatment helps to reduce morbidity and mortality associated with complicated CSOM. Complications in chronic ear disease usually follow an acute exacerbation of infection. This has resulted in a more therapeutic challenge because the underlying ear disease must be effectively treated to avert the recurrence of complications. Aim/Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence, pattern, and mortality of complications due to CSOM, which is still a major health challenge in our society. Materials and Methods: A 10-year retrospective review of clinical records of patients who were diagnosed as having CSOM with complications at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH) Sokoto, from January 2012 to December 2021. Data extracted were: age, sex, clinical symptoms, investigations, complications encountered, treatment, and treatment outcome. Data were analyzed with IBM-SPSS Version 25.0. The complications of CSOM in this study were classified into two major categories: intracranial complications (IC) and extracranial complications (EC). Results: A total of 3970 patients with CSOM were seen in UDUTH Sokoto during the study. Forty-six patients with complications were identified, 32 (69.6) intracranial, and 22 (47.8) extracranial. Eight patients had both intracranial and EC. The prevalence of complications in this study was 1.2. The male-to-female ratio was 2:1. The age ranges from 3 to 50 years with a mean age of 21.13 ± 11.73 standard deviation complications were most common among the age group of 21-30 years with 15 (32.6) patients. Meningitis was the most common intracranial complication occurring in 15 (32.6) patients, and subdural abscess 7 (15.2) was the second-most common IC. In the EC, mastoiditis was the most common complication found in 17 (37.0) patients. Conclusion: With the advent of modern and more potent antibiotics and aggressive surgical eradication of the disease, recent literatures have indicated a decline in complications of CSOM. However, morbidity and mortality are still high, and complications of CSOM still occur as a common disease in