Prevalence of Preauricular Sinus in Lautech Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, Southwest, Nigeria.

Introduction : This study aims to determine the prevalence of pre-auricular sinus and its associated symptoms and its management modality in a tertiary health facility in Oshogbo, south western Nigeria Methods : A prospective cross sectional descriptive study which was carried out between July 2012 and March 2013. Results : A total of 588 patients participated in the study consisting of 347 (59%) male with m: f ratio 1.4:1. The age of the participants ranged from 6 months to 80years with a mean age of 37.14 years. Sixty six participants had pre-auricular sinus with a prevalence of 11.2%. Majority (70%) of the pre-auricular sinus were found in males and the right ear was mostly affected 30 (49.2%). Twenty three (34.8%) had symptoms and only 3% had surgical intervention while others were managed conservatively with administration of appropriate antibiotics and analgesic. None of them had hearing loss or renal complication. Conclusion : There is a high prevalence of preauricular sinus in our environment with fewer patients manifesting symptoms. A very low proportion of patients with symptoms usually present for definitive management (surgery) in our environment; this may be related to strong cultural belief that militates against its prompt treatment. Association with renal impairment or hearing loss appear to be a rear occurrence in our environment