https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8041-6433
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Abstract
Objective
This study aimed to determine the prevalence of dizziness and its associated factors in patients with COM at two otologic referral centres in a middle-income country.
Design
Cross-sectional study. Adults with and without COM diagnosis from two otology-referral centres in Bogotá (Colombia) were included. Dizziness and quality of life were assessed using the “Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media Questionnaire-12” (COMQ-12), and sociodemographic questionnaires were applied. Otoscopic evaluation and audiometric data were collected.
Study sample
A total of 231 adults.
Results
Of the 231 participants, up to 64.5% (n = 149) reported at least mild inconvenience due to dizziness. Factors associated with dizziness included female sex (aPR: 1.23; 95% CI: 1.04–1.46), chronic suppurative otitis media (aPR: 3.02; 95% CI: 1.21–7.52), and severe tinnitus (aPR: 1.75; 95% CI: 1.24–2.48). An interaction was found between socioeconomic status and educational level, with more frequent reports of dizziness in the middle/high economic status and secondary education (aPR: 3.09; 95% CI: 0.52–18.55; p < 0.001). Differences of 14 points in symptom severity and 18.5 points in the total score of the COMQ-12 were found between the groups with dizziness and without dizziness.
Conclusions
Dizziness was frequent in patients with COM and was associated with severe tinnitus and quality of life deterioration.
Acknowledgements
Special thanks to the Otolaryngology residents of the Hospital San José de Bogotá who supported the fieldwork of this study. The authors thank the reviewers of this manuscript; their thoughtful comments significantly improved the quality of our work.
Ethics approval and consent to participate
The Ethical Committee of the Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá (Protocol Number: CCEI-9549-2018) and the Hospital de San José (Act number: 500, DI-I-0632-18) approved this study. All patients provided written informed consent.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s). The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.
Author contributions
Conceptualisation: AP. Data evidence collection: AP, AMOT, LCPH. Supervision: AP. Statistical analysis and methodology: AP, SML. Data analysis: AP, SML, LCPH. Funding acquisition and resource provision: AP. Writing – Original Draft Preparation: DP, JD, SML, LCPH, AMOT, AP. Writing – Review and Editing: DP, JD, SML, LCPH, AP, AMOT.