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Epidemiological Profile of Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) Diseases in the Outpatient Department at Thung Song Hospital, a General Hospital in Southern Thailand, from 2016 to 2019

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A Correction to this article was published on 06 April 2024

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Abstract

The demand for ear, nose, and throat (ENT) care significantly contributes to the workload in outpatient departments (OPDs) worldwide, including Thailand. However, the epidemiology of ENT diseases in Thai OPDs has not been thoroughly reported. Therefore, this study aimed to assess and describe the epidemiology of these conditions among patients attending the ENT clinic at Thung Song Hospital, marking the first epidemiological report of southern Thailand. This retrospective, descriptive study spanned four years and observed the number of ENT patients. The comprehensive dataset revealed a total of 34,848 ENT visits and 12,712 new cases within the ENT clinic’s OPD, averaging 3,178 case instances annually. Notably, over a quarter of the patients were classified as elderly, aged 60 years or older. Of significance, the prevalence of ENT diseases among females exceeded that of males by more than 15% each year. Specific age groups revealed distinct prevalent conditions: otitis externa was most common among children, benign tumors prevailed in adults, and sensorineural hearing loss was prominent among the elderly. This study endeavor aims to deepen the understanding of the epidemiology of these diseases. Such investigations could guide the refinement of healthcare approaches targeting ENT-related ailments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) Diseases, Thung Song Hospital, Nakhon Si Thammarat, 80110, Thailand

    Arunrat Dumkliang

  2. Department of Social and Administrative Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla, 90110, Thailand

    Amarawan Pentrakan

  3. Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla, 90110, Thailand

    Ekachai Dumkliang

Authors
  1. Arunrat Dumkliang
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  2. Amarawan Pentrakan
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  3. Ekachai Dumkliang
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Contributions

Arunrat Dumkliang, M.D.: Conceptualization, Methodology, Ethical Process, Investigation, Resources, Data Curation, Formal Analysis, Visualization, Writing - Original Draft.  Amarawan Pentrakan, B.Pharm., Ph.D.: Methodology, Validation, Co-Visualization, Writing - Review & Editing. Ekachai Dumkliang, B.Pharm., Ph.D.: Supervision, Project Administration, Methodology, Validation, Writing - Review & Final Editing.  

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Correspondence to Ekachai Dumkliang.

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Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were approved by the Human Ethics Committee of the Nakhon Si Thammarat Provincial Public Health Office, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand (approval number NSTPH 038/2563).

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Dumkliang, A., Pentrakan, A. & Dumkliang, E. Epidemiological Profile of Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) Diseases in the Outpatient Department at Thung Song Hospital, a General Hospital in Southern Thailand, from 2016 to 2019. Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12070-024-04560-8

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