Literature Review on Patient Demographics, Risk Factors and Causative Agents of Otomycosis

ABSTRACT

Background: Otomycosis can be defined as a fungal infection of the external auditory canal, frequentlyencountered in the general otolaryngology department. Otomycosis is more commonly reported in hot andhumid climates and various individual as well as environmental factors predispose to this infection. Otomycosisis not only a prevalent condition but also follows a set patterns in patient demographics, predisposing factorsand, causative pathogens, which we aim to explore in this review. Objectives: In this review, we intend to shedlight on the prevalence of otomycosis, along with the characteristics of patients that are most commonlypresented with this condition including age, gender, occupation, socioeconomic class, as well as complains. Wealso aim to elucidate the various predisposing risk factors that increase the likelihood of contracting otomycosisand explore the usually encountered pathogenic causes. Materials and Methods: A review of relevant articlespublished between the years of 1975 to 2019 in English language was done using the databases of PubMed Pico,Google Scholar and Google, using the predetermined keywords. Conclusion: Otomycosis is a prevalent fungalear infection mostly seen in young patients between the ages of 21-30 years. Otomycosis mostly involves oneear, and bilateral involvement is mostly observed in immunodeficient patients. The most frequently reported riskfactors include self-cleaning of ears with objects such as Q-tips, wooden sticks, metal pickers, instillation ofmustard oil in ears, undue use of antibiotic ear drops, and swimming. Otomycosis causative organism isespecially Aspergillus and Candida while concomitant bacterial infection can be seen in several cases ofotomycosis, the most common implicated bacteria being staphylococcus aureus. This literature reviewhighlights the need for education to eradicate the aforementioned predisposing risk factors to reduce theincidence of otomycosis.