Mastoiditis

BackgroundAcute otitis media (AOM) is one of the most common childhood infectious diseases. The recent Italian Pediatric Guidelines for the treatment of AOM constitutes a step forward in the management of children with uncomplicated AOM. The aim of this study was to evaluate antibiotic prescription patterns for AOM in a Pediatric Emergency Department (PED) after those guidelines were introduced and to assess the relationship between implementation of the "watchful waiting" strategy and the incidence of acute mastoiditis in the PED.MethodsThis retrospective study was conducted between 1st January 2007 to 31st December 2013 at the PED of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in Modena (Italy). All children between 0 and 14 years who were examined because of symptoms and/or signs of AOM and acute mastoiditis were enrolled. Pearson's chi-squared test was used to evaluate if introduction of the Italian Paediatric Guidelines was associated with a reduction in the antibiotic prescription pattern in children with AOM and/or with an increase in mastoiditis frequency.Results4,573 (89.4%) patients were included in our analysis, antibiotics were prescribed to 81% cases of the children diagnosed with AOM. The frequency of antibiotic prescribing continued to be stable after the Italian guidelines were introduced (82% versus 81%). Forty children were admitted to hospital with a diagnosis of acute mastoiditis. Our study did not find any association between the number of cases of acute mastoiditis and the percentage of patients treated with antibiotics; the annual incidence of mastoiditis before and after the new guidelines were published was, in fact, stable.ConclusionsDespite the diffusion of clinical guidelines recommending a "watchful waiting" approach for children with AOM, the antibiotic prescription rate continues to be high. It appears to be more difficult to impact the percentage of cases for which antibiotics are prescribed than the type of antibiotic that is utilized. In view of these findings, a close follow-up control by the primary care paediatrician or a scheduled follow-up appointment at the PED and incisive campaigns to promote parents' awareness of proper antibiotic use appear to be warranted.

PurposeCommon respiratory infections were significantly reduced during the COVID-19 pandemic due to general protective and hygiene measures. The gradual withdrawal of these non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI) was associated with a notable increase in these infections, particularly in pediatric and adult otorhinolaryngology. The aim of this retrospective monocentric study was to evaluate the impact of NPI during the COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence and severity of acute mastoiditis (AM).MethodsPre-pandemic clinical data of AM cases from 2011 to 2019 were compared with infection counts from January 2020 to June 2023 for seasonal periodicity, age-specific differences, pathogens, and complication rates in a German third-level hospital.ResultsOut of 196 patients with AM 133 were children, the majority between 1 and 5 years of age. Complications of AM, such as meningitis, brain abscess, and sinus vein thrombosis, were more common in adults (87%) than in children (17%). Morbidity and mortality rates were similar before, during and after the pandemic. Pneumococci were the most common pathogen in both age groups, with a post-pandemic cumulation of Streptococcus pyogenes infections in children. While pre-pandemic cases clustered in spring, seasonality was absent in all age groups during the main phase of the pandemic. The cessation of NPI caused a steep rise in AM cases in both age groups starting from December 2022.ConclusionNPI during the COVID-19 pandemic reduced the incidence of AM. Their reversal led to a substantial increase in the incidence of AM during the post-pandemic period, which may be due to a general increase in viral respiratory infections and an insufficiently trained immune system.

Background and objectivesIn 2020, a wide range of hygiene measures was implemented to mitigate infections caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In consequence, pulmonary infections due to other respiratory pathogens also decreased. Here, we evaluated the number of bacterial and viral meningitis and encephalitis cases during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.MethodsIn a multicentre retrospective analysis of data from January 2016 until December 2020, numbers of patients diagnosed with bacterial meningitis and other types of CNS infections (such as viral meningitis and encephalitis) at 26 German hospitals were studied. Furthermore, the number of common meningitis-preceding ear-nose-throat infections (sinusitis, mastoiditis and otitis media) was evaluated.ResultsCompared to the previous years, the total number of patients diagnosed with pneumococcal meningitis was reduced (n = 64 patients/year in 2020 vs. n = 87 to 120 patients/year between 2016 and 2019, all p DiscussionThis multicentre retrospective analysis demonstrates a decline in the number of patients treated for viral and pneumococcal meningitis as well as otolaryngological infections in 2020 compared to previous years. Since the latter often precedes pneumococcal meningitis, this may point to the significance of the direct spread of pneumococci from an otolaryngological focus such as mastoiditis to the brain as one important pathophysiological route in the development of pneumococcal meningitis.

ObjectivesTo evaluate the association between prior community-based antibiotic treatment for acute otitis media (AOM) and the incidence and severity of complications in children hospitalized with acute mastoiditis (AM), noting that this design does not address whether prior antibiotic treatment prevents AM development.MethodsThis retrospective cohort study analyzed medical records of 522 children (age 48 h before hospitalization versus those receiving ResultsOf 522 children, 110 (21%) received prior antibiotics and 412 (79%) did not. While the composite complication rate was higher in the prior treatment group (54.5% vs. 38.6%, unadjusted OR = 1.91, p = 0.003), prior antibiotic treatment was not significantly associated with specific complication types, including subperiosteal abscess (adjusted OR = 0.67, p = 0.37) or intracranial complications (adjusted OR = 1.74, p = 0.13). Inflammatory markers, hospitalization length, imaging use, and surgical intervention rates were comparable between groups. Fusobacterium necrophorum in blood cultures was significantly associated with complications regardless of prior antibiotic exposure.ConclusionsAmong children hospitalized with AM, prior antibiotic treatment was not associated with increased rates of specific complications. The difference in composite outcomes likely reflects selection bias rather than a true treatment effect. Causal inference is limited by confounding by indication and unmeasured baseline severity differences.