Otorhinolaryngological manifestations in pregnancy

Abstract EN

The otorhinolaryngology deal with a large number of outpatient problems that affect all age group and both sex.

The pregnant woman should take special consideration due to changes that affect both the mother and her fetus and the relation between these changes and ENT problems.

Aim of the study: to study the prevalence of Otolaryngological diseases that occur during pregnancy and relation between physiological changes that occurs during conception and these diseases.

Patients and methods : a case control study of 155 women divided into two group , the first group consist of 69 pregnant women and the control group (85 non pregnant women.

These females were examined in the otolaryngology outpatient clinic in Alsadar teaching hospital and the private clinic of the researcher over a period from May 2009 till February 2011.

Statistical analysis was done by using SPSS (statistical package for social science), version 11.

In which chi square (x2) test was used to compute significance.

Results : The mean age of group I (pregnant) was 27.49 while the mean age of control group was 26.

69.

The most common otolaryngological problem in women in group I was otitis externa which occur in 30, 4 %, followed by allergic rhinitis which occurred in 21.7 %.

While the least common causes were parotitis, sensorineural deafness and traumatic rupture of tympanic membrane.

Another interesting result is the occurrence of otitis externa more frequently in the last three months of pregnancy of women included in this study.

Conclusion : ENT related symptoms are common during pregnancy ; most of them should be treated conservatively as they disappear after birth.

Otitis externa appear to be more common in pregnancy because of changes in the skin of external ear canal under hormonal influence which make the environment in the canal resembles other predisposing factor.