Otorhinological disorders among pregnant women attending the obstetric clinic at Benjamin Mkapa Hospital, Tanzania.

Background: Pregnancy leads to physiological changes primarily driven by hormones like oestrogen and progesterone. Such changes are multi-systemic in nature including involvement of the ear, nose and throat. Such changes impair the quality of the life of pregnant women and thus requires prompt intervention during pregnancy. This study aimed to determine otorhinological disorders among pregnant women attending obstetric clinic at Benjamin Mkapa Hospital.

Methodology: A hospital-based descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at Benjamin Mkapa Hospital from June to August 2023. A total of 246 pregnant women were recruited after consenting where data on their age, gestational age, and otological and rhinological disorders were obtained. Otoscopic and rhinoscopic examination were done and recorded in the data collection sheet. Data was analysed using a Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23. A p-value<0.05 was statistically significant.

Results: This study recruited 246 pregnant women with majority 135(52.8%) in the 3^rd trimester. Pertaining otological disorders manifested by pregnant women, majority 39(15.9%) of them presented with hearing loss/reduced hearing ability, and conductive hearing loss was the most common type, 19(48.7%). Regarding rhinological disorders, 47(19.1%) pregnant women had allergic rhinitis and most of them presented with nasal obstruction 41(87.2%), nasal bleeding 12(25.5%) and pale pinkish inferior turbinate,3(6.4%). Eighty (32.7%) pregnant women had olfactory disturbance whereby most of them had reduced sense of smell 41(51.3%). The association between otorhinological disorders and gestational age was significant for only allergic rhinitis and olfactory disturbance (p-value<0.05).

Conclusion: The study concludes that otorhinological disorders are common among pregnant women, with a significant number experiencing hearing loss, allergic rhinitis, and olfactory disturbances. Specifically, allergic rhinitis and olfactory disturbances are significantly associated with the trimesters of pregnancy, while other disorders like hearing loss, Bell's palsy, otitis externa, and sinusitis do not show a significant association with the pregnancy trimesters. This highlights the need for prompt intervention to manage these conditions and improve the quality of life for pregnant women.