Adult Onset Otitis Media with Effusion: Prevalence and Etiology

Background: Otitis media with effusion (OME) is a subtype of chronic otitis media. It is a common disease in children but may occur in adults due to various reasons. Purpose: To determine the prevalence of pathological findings related to OME in adults. Methods: This descriptive study was carried out in the otolaryngology department of Loghman Hakim hospital, Tehran, Iran, from March to August 2015. Thirty-one patients between 18-65 years old with symptomatic OME were selected. The underlying cause of OME was investigated using examination, audiometry test, endoscopy and biopsy. Results: Thirteen patients (41.9%) had allergy, 35.4%patients had gastro-esophageal reflux. Fourteen cases (45.2%) had nasopharyngeal mass which almost 9% of patients were found neoplasm. Conclusion: Adult onset OME can be an indicator of nasopharyngeal cancer and should be noticed as well as systematic approach in diagnostic procedure. However it is a clue for further studies to find out causal association in future.