Prevalence of Pediatric Ear, Nose, and Throat Disorders Among Schoolchildren in Zawia: A School-Based Screening Study.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54361/LJMR.20.2.60Keywords:
Allergic rhinitis, Middle ear disease, Nasal obstruction, Pediatric otorhinolaryngologic disorders, School-based screening, Schoolchildren; LibyaAbstract
Background: Otorhinolaryngology diseases are very common, especially among school-aged children. There is increasing concern regarding school-based screening to detect subclinical cases, as many unrecognised pathologies can negatively affect children’s quality of life and academic performance. The objective of this study was to screen and assess the prevalence of otorhinolaryngological disorders among school-aged children in late childhood within a non-clinical population. Methods: This study was designed as a prospective, descriptive, cross-sectional, school-based screening study conducted between 15 January and 28 February 2025, across five primary schools in Zawia City during a community health campaign organised by the Faculty of Medicine, Zawia University. The study included 233 school-aged children N = 233 who underwent ENT examination. The participants were enrolled from Grades 5 and 6, corresponding to approximately 10–12 years of age. Results: A total of 233 students were included in the clinical screening, comprising 137 males 58.8% and 96 females 41.2%. Allergic rhinitis was the most common finding, affecting 64.8% n = 151. This was followed by nasal obstruction in 60.9% n = 142 of the sample and nasal discharge in 48.1% n = 112. Middle ear pathology, particularly tympanic membrane retraction and loss of lustre, was identified in 39.1% n = 91 of students. Tonsillar hypertrophy Grade III–IV was observed in 16.8% n = 39, while adenoid facies was noted in only 4.3% n = 10 of children. A slight male predominance was observed across most findings, although no statistically significant differences were found for the majority of recorded pathologies. Conclusion: The findings highlight the importance of school-based screening for early detection and management of ENT conditions, particularly allergic rhinitis and rhinosinusitis, with special emphasis on hearing assessment.
Downloads
References
Watkinson JC, Clarke RW, editors. Scott-Brown's Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery. Volume 3: Paediatric Otolaryngology. 8th ed. Boca Raton (FL): CRC Press; 2018.
2. Srinivasan D, Raja K. Common ear, nose and throat disorders in childhood. In: Purevjav E, Storgion AS, Dean Minniear T, editors. Common Childhood Diseases: Diagnosis, Prevention and Management. London: IntechOpen; 2024. p. 93-112. doi:10.5772/intechopen.1006071.
3. Merriam-Webster. ENT. In: Merriam-Webster Dictionary [Internet]. Springfield (MA): Merriam-Webster; [cited 2024 Aug 24]. Available from: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ENT
4. Kishve SP, Kumar N, Kishve PS, Aarif SMM, Kalakoti P. Ear, nose and throat disorders in paediatric patients at a rural hospital in India. Australas Med J. 2010;3(12):786-790. doi:10.4066/AMJ.2010.457.
5. World Health Organization. Pocket Book of Hospital Care for Children: Guidelines for the Management of Common Childhood Illnesses. 2nd ed. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2013.
6. Yang S, Yang J, Xu J, Hu Y, Li C, Zhang L, et al. Allergic rhinitis and behaviour problems in urban children aged 6 to 12 years and the mediating role of sleep disturbance. Ann Med. 2025;57(1):2460771. doi:10.1080/07853890.2025.2460771.
7. Zhang J, Fu Y, Wang L, Wu G. Adenoid facies: a long-term vicious cycle of mouth breathing, adenoid hypertrophy, and atypical craniofacial development. Front Pediatr. 2024;12:1357644. doi:10.3389/fped.2024.1357644.
8. Shah V, Lodha N, Patel B, Parmar D. Assessment of ear nose and throat morbidities prevalent in school-going children aged 5–14 years in a rural area of Jamnagar. J Res Med Dent Sci. 2014;2(4):68-72. doi:10.5455/jrmds.2014241.
9. Şanlı A, Taşdemir O, Eken M, Celebi O, Yilmaz S. Prevalence of otitis media with effusion among primary school-age children and etiopathogenic examination. Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2011;63(4):341-344. doi:10.1007/s12070-011-0268-x.
10. Zaffanello M, Ersu R, Radzikowska-Schnelhoeger M, Piacentini G, Gasperi E, Nosetti L, et al. Cardiac implications of adenotonsillar hypertrophy and obstructive sleep apnea in pediatric patients: a comprehensive systematic review. Children (Basel). 2024;11(2):208. doi:10.3390/children11020208.
11. Brodsky L. Modern assessment of tonsils and adenoids. Pediatr Clin North Am. 1989;36(6):1551-1569. doi:10.1016/S0031-3955(16)36806-7.
12. Seidman MD, Gurgel RK, Lin SY, Schwartz SR, Baroody FM, Bonner JR, et al. Clinical practice guideline: allergic rhinitis. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2015;152(1 Suppl):S1-S43. doi:10.1177/0194599814561600.
13. Hamizan AW, Christensen JM, Ebenzer J, Oakley G, Tattersall J, Sacks R, et al. Middle turbinate edema as a diagnostic marker of inhalant allergy. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol. 2017;7(1):37-42. doi:10.1002/alr.21835.
14. Franzese C. Diagnosis of inhalant allergies: patient history and testing. Otolaryngol Clin North Am. 2011;44(3):561-573. doi:10.1016/j.otc.2011.03.003.
15. Mohammadzadeh I, Barari-Savadkoohi R, Alizadeh-Navaei R. The prevalence of allergic rhinitis in Iranian children: a systematic review and descriptive meta-analysis. Iran J Pediatr. 2013;23(4):375-380.
16. Ukaegbe OC, Umedum NG, Chime EN, Orji FT. Assessment of common otolaryngological diseases among children in rural primary schools in southeastern Nigeria. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2016;89:169-172. doi:10.1016/j.ijporl.2016.08.015.
17. Fokkens WJ, Lund VJ, Hopkins C, Hellings PW, Kern R, Reitsma S, et al. European position paper on rhinosinusitis and nasal polyps 2020. Rhinology. 2020;58(Suppl S29):1-464. doi:10.4193/Rhin20.600.
18. Yildirim I, Okur E. The prevalence of nasal septal deviation in children from Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2003;67(11):1203-1206. doi:10.1016/j.ijporl.2003.07.005.
19. Šubarić M, Mladina R. Nasal septum deformities in children and adolescents: a cross-sectional study of children from Zagreb, Croatia. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2002;63(1):41-48. doi:10.1016/S0165-5876(01)00646-2.
20. Chen J, Liang J, Lang J, Yuan Y. Prenatal and early-life exposure to traffic-related air pollution and allergic rhinitis in children: a systematic literature review. PLoS One. 2023;18(4):e0284625. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0284625.
21. Naclerio R, Ansotegui IJ, Bousquet J, Canonica GW, D'Amato G, Rosario N, et al. The need for clean air: the way air pollution and climate change affect allergic rhinitis and asthma. Allergy. 2020;75(9):2170-2184. doi:10.1111/all.14177.
22. Takizawa H. Impact of air pollution on allergic diseases. Korean J Intern Med. 2011;26(3):262-273. doi:10.3904/kjim.2011.26.3.262.
23. Leland EM, Zhang Z, Kelly KM, Ramanathan M Jr. Role of environmental air pollution in chronic rhinosinusitis. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep. 2021;21(10):43. doi:10.1007/s11882-021-01019-6.
24. Acharya A, Singh M, Shrestha A, Pokharel B. Ear nose throat disorders in government schools of far-western Nepal. J Lumbini Med Coll. 2013;1(2):95-98. doi:10.21263/jlmc.v1i2.33.
25. Srinivas K, Anand R. Prevalence of ear disease among school children in Pondicherry: a cross-sectional survey. J Clin Diagn Res. 2019;13(9):MC01-MC05. doi:10.7860/JCDR/2019/41358.13102.
26. Gupta K, Goyal G, Berad A. An analytical study of prevalence of ear disorders and their risk factors among children in a resettlement colony of Delhi. Perspect Med Res. 2020;8(3):13-19. doi:10.47799/pimr.0803.04.
27. Kaspar A, Pifeleti S, Ah Kuoi M. Prevalence and pattern of ear disease among primary school students in Samoa: preliminary results from ENT clinic outreach. Ear Nose Throat J. 2024. doi:10.1177/01455613241279719.
28. Adhikari P. Pattern of ear diseases in rural school children: experiences of free health camps in Nepal. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2009;73(9):1278-1280. doi:10.1016/j.ijporl.2009.05.020.
29. Yeli S. Prevalence of ENT disorders in children: a tertiary medical care study. Int J Curr Microbiol Appl Sci. 2015;4(7):682-687.
30. Kara CO, Ergin H, Koçak G, Kılıç İ, Yurdakul M. Prevalence of tonsillar hypertrophy and associated oropharyngeal symptoms in primary school children in Denizli, Turkey. Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2002;66(2):133-138. doi:10.1016/S0165-5876(02)00247-1.
31. Chae S, Choi G. The incidence and clinical symptoms of palatine tonsillar hypertrophy in elementary school children. Korean J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2000;43(12):1342-1345.
32. El-sherif AM. Prevalence of tonsillitis among sore throat patients attending OPD Department at Zawia Central Hospital, Libya. Libyan J Med Res. 2022;16(2):166–176. doi:10.54361/ljmr.16216.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Abeer M. Elsherif, Zahra A. Balkhayr, Nadia Sifennasr (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Open Access Policy
Libyan journal of medical Research (LJMR).is an open journal, therefore there are no fees required for downloading any publication from the journal website by authors, readers, and institution.
The journal applies the license of CC BY (a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license). This license allows authors to keep ownership f the copyright of their papers. But this license permits any user to download , print out, extract, reuse, archive, and distribute the article, so long as appropriate credit is given to the authors and the source of the work.
The license ensures that the article will be available as widely as possible and that the article can be included in any scientific archive.
Editorial Policy
The publication of an article in a peer reviewed journal is an essential model for Libyan journal of medical Research (LJMR). It is necessary to agree upon standards of expected ethical behavior for all parties involved in the act of publishing: the author, the journal editorial, the peer reviewer and the publisher.
Any manuscript or substantial parts of it, submitted to the journal must not be under consideration by any other journal. In general, the manuscript should not have already been published in any journal or other citable form, although it may have been deposited on a preprint server. Authors are required to ensure that no material submitted as part of a manuscript infringes existing copyrights, or the rights of a third party.
Authorship Policy
The manuscript authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution and intellectual input to the research submitted to the journal, including design, performance, interpretation of the reported study, and writing the manuscript. All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors.
Others who have participated in certain substantive aspects of the manuscript but without intellectual input should only be recognized in the acknowledgements section of the manuscript. Also, one of the authors should be selected as the corresponding author to communicate with the journal and approve the final version of the manuscript for publication in the LJMR.
Peer-review Policy
- All the manuscripts submitted to LJMR will be subjected to the double-blinded peer-review process;
- The manuscript will be reviewed by two suitable experts in the respective subject area.
- Reports of all the reviewers will be considered while deciding on acceptance/revision or rejection of a manuscript.
- Editor-In-Chief will make the final decision, based on the reviewer’s comments.
- Editor-In-Chief can ask one or more advisory board members for their suggestions upon a manuscript, before making the final decision.
- Associate editor and review editors provide administrative support to maintain the integrity of the peer-review process.
- In case, authors challenge the editor’s negative decision with suitable arguments, the manuscript can be sent to one more reviewer and the final decision will be made based upon his recommendations.
https://portal.issn.org/resource/ISSN/2413-6069
