title: Clinical features of newly presenting cases of chronic otitis media.
abstract: The clinical features of 58 consecutive patients presenting with a new case of chronic otitis media were prospectively collected over a 15-month period. Twenty-three ears had a keratin filled marginal or attic defect (14 with cholesteatoma), 20 had a self-clearing marginal or attic defect, and 21 had a central tympanic membrane perforation (including one cholesteatoma). Twenty patients (35 per cent) had an abnormal finding in the opposite ear. The patients' ages were dispersed over a wide range of age groups with a mean age of 34 years. Hearing loss was the most common presenting symptom (78 per cent), followed by otorrhoea (64 per cent). A significant proportion of patients denied any history of otorrhoea. Our findings should alert the clinician to suspecting a new case of COM in patients with hearing loss of any age, with, or without, a history of otorrhoea, regardless of their background ear history or the duration of their symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Waterford Regional Hospital, Waterford City, Ireland.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sheahan
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Donnelly
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kane
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018424:Cholesteatoma, Middle Ear / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010035:Otitis Media, Suppurative / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011446:Prospective Studies