Al Hafiz, Dolly Irfandy, Fenty Anggrainy, Karina Julita. A Systematic Review and Meta- Analysis: Correlation between Nasal Obstruction and Middle Ear Infection. Head and neck. Russian Journal. 2023;11(3):47–55
DOI: https://doi.org/10.25792/HN.2023.11.3.47-55
Introduction. Nasal obstruction is a symptom that manifests itself in reduced airflow through the nose. The nasal cavity is linked to the middle ear, so that pathological processes in the nose may also affect the condition of the middle ear.
Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to assess the relationship between nasal obstruction and middle ear infection.
Materials and Methods. This study involves a systematic review and a meta-analysis. Our literature search included the following five databases: Pubmed, CENTRAL, DOAJ, TRIP, and BMC; we aimed to find clinical trials and observational studies related to this topic. The risk ratio (RR) and standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated to evaluate the relationship between nasal obstruction and middle ear infections through meta-analysis. Data were analyzed using the Review Manager (RevMan) version 5.4.0.
Results. A total of 13 studies were included in this systematic review, and we conducted a meta-analysis of 9 of them. The cumulative RR showed a tendency to develop otitis media in the population with nasal obstruction (RR
= 1.30; 95% CI, 0.41–4.10, p = 0.65). Subgroup analysis showed no significant difference (p = 0.78) between these indicators in relation to the occurrence of middle ear infection (SMD = 0.04; 95% CI, -0.26–0.35). An association with allergy was found in the nasal obstruction with the occurrence of middle ear infections (RR = 1.17; 95% CI, 0.08–17.64), but this result was not statistically significant (p = 0.91).
Conclusions. There was no significant relationship between nasal obstruction and middle ear infection, which is affected by various factors.
Keywords: A meta-analysis, middle ear infection, nasal obstruction, otitis media, systematic review
Conflict of interests. All authors have no conflict of interests
Financing. The authors report no involvement in the research by the sponsor that could have influenced the outcome of this work.