Spectrum of otorhinolaryngologic diseases in a tertiary care hospital of Peshawar, Pakistan, based on 2003-2013 data

Abstract

Introduction: A wide variety of patients with Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) diseases present to the Otorhinolaryngologist regardless of their age or gender between communities, hospitals and seasons.
Objective: To provide an overview and comparison of major ENT diseases seen at a tertiary care hospital of Peshawar, Pakistan.
Materials & Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted from October to December 2017 based on 11-years’ retrospective data (2003-2013) of ENT patients managed at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Rehman Medical Institute (RMI), Peshawar, Pakistan. Data were entered into MS Excel 2013 and analyzed for descriptive statistics.
Results: During 2003-2013, 2204 patients were managed. There were 1475 (66.92%) males and 729 (33.08%) females (male to female ratio 2.02:1). The most frequent presentation was that of DNS (50.2%) followed by Tonsillitis (28.0%). The least common presentation was that of Otitis Media (3.0%), Thyroid Disease (3.0%), and Sinusitis (2.0%). The most common age group of presentation to an ENT Department was <1–20 years (49.1%).
Conclusion: A general male preponderance was observed for morbidity of ENT diseases. The spectrum of ENT diseases seen in RMI is at par with most of the published literature; however, the frequency of DNS was higher in RMI when compared to other national and regional studies.