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Global Burden of Otitis Media in Africa and 5 Subregions: 1992–2021 Trends

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https://doi.org/10.54963/entu.v16i2.2404
Cao, D., Ma, Q., Zhang, M., Yan, Y., Zhao, H., & Liu, R. (2026). Global Burden of Otitis Media in Africa and 5 Subregions: 1992–2021 Trends. ENT Updates, 16(2), 63–74. https://doi.org/10.54963/entu.v16i2.2404
Volume 16 Issue 2 (2026): In Progress
Copyright (c) 2026 Dashan Cao, Qiyuan Ma, Miao Zhang, Yan Yan, Hui Zhao, Riyuan Liu
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors

  • Dashan Cao

    Senior Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The 6th Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100048, China
    Chinese PLA Medical School, Beijing 100853, China
  • Qiyuan Ma

    Senior Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The 6th Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100048, China
    Chinese PLA Medical School, Beijing 100853, China
    Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Jiangsu Provincial Corps Hospital of Chinese People’s Armed Police Force, Yangzhou 225003, China
  • Miao Zhang

    Senior Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The 6th Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100048, China
  • Yan Yan

    Senior Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The 6th Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100048, China
  • Hui Zhao

    Senior Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The 6th Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100048, China
  • Riyuan Liu

    Senior Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The 6th Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100048, China

Received: 3 March 2026; Revised: 13 April 2026; Accepted: 19 June 2026; Published: 25 June 2026

Africa has the highest global otitis media (OM) burden; however, regional trends and projections remain underexplored. We assessed the OM burden (incidence, prevalence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years [DALYs]) across Africa (1992–2021) and forecasted 2037 trends. Data for this study were extracted from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) database 1992 to 2021 and were analyzed using joinpoint regression, age-period-cohort (APC) analysis, decomposition analysis and Auto Regressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) projections. Africa’s age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) slightly increased (+0.02% average annual percentage change, AAPC), while the prevalence (−0.18%), mortality (−2.73%), and DALY rates (−0.39%) declined. In 2021, Eastern Africa had the highest ASIR/ age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR); Central Africa had the highest age-standardized prevalence rate (ASPR)/age-standardized DALY rate (ASDR). Children aged <9 years bore the greatest burden. The APC analysis shows that age and period were correlated with incidence rate. Decomposition analysis showed that population growth positively drove increases in disease burden, while aging negatively affected the growth. Projections estimate that ASIR will rise to 6,019.27 per 100,000 by 2037, while ASPR and ASDR will decline to 1,730.65 and 34.11 per 100,000. Reducing OM's disease burden necessitates strategies better aligned with African population needs and global collaboration.

Keywords:

Otitis Media Trend Incidence Mortality Prevalence Disability-Adjusted Life Years

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