This retrospective single centre study evaluated the influence of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI) like use of face masks, hand hygiene, and contact restrictions on the incidence and severity of acute mastoiditis during the Covid-19 pandemic. The study collected data of acute mastoiditis cases before the onset of the pandemic and compared it with data during and towards end of the pandemic. The data included seasonal periodicity, age specific differences, pathogens and complication rates at a German tertiary care hospital. The authors conclude that NPI decreased the incidence of acute mastoiditis during the pandemic and reversal of NPI was associated with an increase in the incidence. They postulate that the increased incidence could be due to an overall increase in viral respiratory infections and inadequately trained immune system.
Acute mastoiditis pre- and post-Covid-19 pandemic
Reviewed by Gauri Mankekar
Increase in acute mastoiditis at the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.
CONTRIBUTOR
Gauri Mankekar
Department of Otolaryngology-Head Neck Surgery, Louisiana State University Shreveport, Louisiana, USA.
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