OTITIS MEDIA WITH EFFUSION AND ITS ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG PATIENTS WITH CEREBRAL PALSY: A MULTI-CENTER STUDY

Children with cerebral palsy (CP) are more prone to Otitis media with effusion (OME). We set out to determine the prevalence and factors associated with OME among patients with CPaged 2 to 18 years of age at two tertiary hospitals. Across-sectional study design was used. Diagnosis of OME was made on presence of a type B tympanogram. Of the 151 patients with CPrecruited the median age was 3 years (IQR 2.5-6.9). Majority were males (64.2%), had non-ambulatory CP (78.8%) and had breastfed for over 6 months (74.8%). Allergic rhinitis and nasal regurgitation of feeds were reported in 40.4% and 69.5% respectively. The prevalence of OME was 43.7%. Children who were breastfed for over 6 months (p value = 0.025) were less likely to have OME while presence of allergic rhinitis (p value = 0.016) and nasal regurgitation of feeds (p value = 0.035) increased the odds of presence of OME. The prevalence of OME among patients with CP is high (43.7%). Children with CP should breastfeed for more than 6 months to protect them against OME while timely management of nasal regurgitation of feeds and allergic rhinitis may minimize the risk of OME in these patients