Abstract
Purpose
Our study aimed to identify the independent demographic and clinical factors associated with quality of life (QoL) in patients with chronic otitis media (COM), using the Chronic Otitis Media Questionnaire-12 (COMQ-12) as a disease-specific assessment tool. Multivariable regression analysis was applied to determine which variables most significantly influence patient-reported QoL.Methods
A cross-sectional, observational study was conducted on 299 adult participants at a tertiary referral center between May 2022 and May 2023. All participants completed two questionnaires: the first collected sociodemographic and clinical data, and the second was the validated COMQ-12. Otoscopic and audiological examinations were performed. Binaural hearing impairment (BHI) was calculated. Multivariable linear regression analysis was used to identify factors independently associated with higher COMQ-12 scores.Results
The mean COMQ-12 score was 28,17 ± 12,03. Multivariable regression analysis revealed that younger age (p = 0.017), presence of ear discharge (p Conclusions
Younger age, ear discharge, tinnitus and BHI were independently associated with higher COMQ-12 scores indicating reduced QoL in patients with COM. Consideration of these factors in the management and treatment of COM may improve patient's QoL.