title: The prevalence of preauricular sinus and associated factors in a nationwide population-based survey of South Korea.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the prevalence of preauricular sinus (PAS) using data from a government-centered survey in South Korea and to reveal the relationship between the occurrence of PAS and associated factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data obtained during July 2008 to December 2012 were analyzed. Annually, 10,000 to 12,000 individuals are selected from a panel to represent the population using a multistage clustered and stratified random sampling method based on the National Census Data. A total of 56,592 individuals participated in the survey (25,586 male and 31,006 female).
  
  
  METHODS
  After completion of the otolaryngologic questionnaires, the auricle was examined to check for malformation and PAS in those older than 1 year. Next, an otolaryngologist conducted a physical examination of the head and neck using videoassisted endoscopy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Physical examination.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One thousand one hundred thirty-two individuals had PAS representing the overall prevalence of 1.91% in South Korea, with 79.08% of cases occurring unilaterally. Female participants had a significantly higher prevalence than male (p < 0.001), and a significant decrease with age was observed in both male and female populations (p < 0.001). A higher proportion of PAS was found in individuals with external ear anomaly (p < 0.001) and not associated with abnormal otoendoscopic findings such as tympanic membrane perforation, cholesteatomatous condition including retraction pocket, and middle ear effusion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A large-scale government-centered survey demonstrates a high prevalence, female dominance, and age-related decrease of PAS in South Korea.
authors.affiliation: *Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu; †Biostatistics Team, Samsung Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul; ‡Division of Chronic Disease Surveillance, Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Osong; §Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Kyu-Yup
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Sook-young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Woo
authors.forename: Seon Woo
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Ji-Eun
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Yang-Sun
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Cho
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018424:Cholesteatoma, Middle Ear / Q000453:epidemiology; D019465:Craniofacial Abnormalities / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004427:Ear Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004431:Ear, External / Q000002:abnormalities*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010034:Otitis Media with Effusion / Q000453:epidemiology; D010808:Physical Examination; D015995:Prevalence; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D017678:Sex Distribution; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D018058:Tympanic Membrane Perforation / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult