Outpatient characteristics in a pediatric otolaryngology department during COVID-19 pandemic: A retrospective study.

Objectives: To investigate the characteristics of outpatients in the pediatric otolaryngology department of a tertiary Japanese hospital before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: In this retrospective study conducted at a tertiary center in Japan, pediatric patients aged 0-15 years who visited the pediatric otolaryngology department between 2017 and 2022 were included. The number of outpatients in the department was compared between before and during the COVID-19 pandemic (January 2017-December 2022) by year, age, sex, and the disease for which the patient was examined. Additionally, the diseases that most substantially contributed to the change in outpatient visits were evaluated in detail regarding their severity.

Results: Among a total of 9219 outpatients, there were no significant differences between 2017-2019 and 2020-2022 (4650 vs. 4569). In contrast, the number of new outpatients decreased by 27.5% (from 1242 to 900) in each of the three years during the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, the number of patients aged 1-6 years decreased as did that of male patients. Of eight disease categories, oral cavity- and pharyngeal- related diseases decreased the most significantly, by approximately 50%, and the decrease in the number of patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is thought to have had an impact on the decrease in the number of patients. Furthermore, in cases in which polysomnography testing was performed for OSA, the proportion of patients with moderate and severe categories showed a significant decrease.

Conclusions: The number of new pediatric ORL patients, particularly those with severe OSA, reduced during the COVID 19 pandemic. These results may provide indications about the characteristics of OSA incidence and exacerbations.