ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: To determine the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Adenotonsillectomies (TA), Tonsil Related Cases (TC), and Peritonsillar Abscess (PTA) Trends. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective Cohort Study. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study using the Pediatric Health Information System® (PHIS) database, which consists of 51 children's hospitals. Regions were defined according to PHIS rules with at least five children's hospitals per region. We compared monthly total TA, TC, TC as a proportion of all hospital visits, and PTA from all encounters at each hospital from January 1, 2019, through December 31, 2021. RESULTS: Compared to 2019, April 2020 saw mean TC drop significantly from 371.62 to 68.37 (p < 0.001). Interestingly, June, September, and December 2020 had significantly higher mean TC compared to 2019. TC as a proportion of all hospital visits decreased significantly throughout the majority of 2021. Similarly, TA significantly decreased during 2020 and 2021 across all regions in the US, starting in March 2020 and this reduction in TA extended through the end of 2021 without any signs of recovery. PTA rates did not change significantly over the three years. CONCLUSIONS: The pandemic-plagued 2020 saw a noticeable decrease in overall TC and TA but then rebounded quickly to even higher than pre-pandemic levels. However, this rebound halted for the majority of 2021 and subsequently decreased to lower than pre-pandemic levels, which differs from other communicable pathologies such as otitis media which decreased initially then recovered to pre-pandemic levels by Summer of 2021.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Otolaryngology , Peritonsillar Abscess , COVID-19/epidemiology , Child , Humans , Palatine Tonsil , Pandemics , Peritonsillar Abscess/diagnosis , Peritonsillar Abscess/epidemiology , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
PURPOSE: The pandemic related to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has led to a decrease in communicable diseases due to social distancing and mask-wearing. How have the prevalence of otitis media (OM) and its associated procedures changed during the pandemic? STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective Cohort Study. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study using the Pediatric Health Information System® (PHIS) database, which consists of 48 children's hospitals. Regions were defined according to PHIS rules. We compared proportion of OM to total diagnoses codes, and collected mastoiditis, and MT placements from all encounters through January 1, 2019-June 31, 2021. RESULTS: In April 2020, there was a decrease in mean proportion of OM cases per 100 hospital visits (7 v. 2, p < 0.0001) and this was sustained through 2020 and until June 2021 (6-7 v. 2-4, p < 0.05; p < 0.05). Compared to 2020, the months of April and June 2021 showed an increase in mean proportion of OM cases (6-7 v. 3-4, p < 0.05) while May did not. This relative increase in OM cases through April-June were primarily driven by the South, the Midwest, and the Northeast in April and the South and the Midwest in June. MT procedures followed similar trends. In 2020, there was no difference in mastoiditis as a proportion of OM cases compared to 2019 however there was a statistically higher rate of mastoiditis in 2020 compared to 2021. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic led to declines in OM and MT case volumes that have started to increase. A geographic relationship may exist, and this connection could be influenced by mask mandates and social distancing.