Shifting patterns of acute otitis media and mastoiditis through COVID-19 Era: analysis of pre-pandemic, pandemic, and post-pandemic dynamics.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on acute otitis media (AOM) and acute mastoiditis (AM) by analyzing longitudinal changes in disease incidence, clinical presentations, complications, and microbial patterns across pre-pandemic, pandemic, and post-pandemic periods.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study examining pediatric AOM and AM cases (age ≤ 15 years) at a tertiary medical center between March 2015 and February 2024. Cases were categorized into three periods: pre-COVID (March 2015-February 2020), lockdown (March 2020-February 2021), and post-lockdown (March 2021-February 2024).