Otological diseases in Nigerian children

A large percentage of Nigerian children with ear diseases are not likely to enjoy the services of an otolaryngologist. This is because there are few of such specialists in Nigeria and they are located in cities and mainly in tertiary health facilities, whereas most children live in the rural areas sometimes with inadequate or non-availability of primary healthcare. The problem is compounded by the fact that the children are economically dependent on their parents who are largely poor. This tends to delay early presentation to the hospital. In spite of the availability of potent antibiotics, severe life threatening complication of otitis media such as mastoid abscess and intracranial abscesses are still seen in Nigerian children.[4] Acute otitis media is often missed, because the children are usually assumed to have malaria at the onset of fever until ear discharge is obvious[5]. Hospital presentation is usually as a result of associated complication of the ear disease or the development of hearing impairment. This study aims at determining the pattern and prevalence of ear diseases in Nigerian children and the challenges of managing them.