EPIDEMOLOGICAL STUDY OF FOREIGN BODIES IN UPPER AERODIGESTIVE TRACT

Background: Foreign body aspiration may occur at any age, however most of these accidents occur in the children below age three years. The high incidence in young children reflects their tendency to explore their world using their mouths. Furthermore, these children have not yet developed a full posterior dentition, and neuromuscular mechanisms for swallowing and airway protection may not be fully mature. Aim: To describe the common presenting signs and symptoms of foreign bodies among patients attending ENT department at TMH. Material and methods: The present study was carried out in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, R. G. Kar Hospital, Kolkata, West Bengal. Approval by the ethics committee of Hospital, Jamshedpur is taken and written informed consent of patients is obtained to conduct the study. The study was conducted from August 2014 to December 2015 for a period of 1 and half years. Result: In our study, there was equal incidence of FB among the various socioeconomic statuses. We have clustered 1 and 2 socioeconomic status as upper status, and 3,4 and 5 as lower status. There were statistically no significant difference in the incidence of FB was seen according to their SES, with p – value = 0.7721 { p > 0.05 }. Conclusion: Proper history and examination are the key components to diagnose foreign bodies. Otolaryngologists should categorise high risk patients on the basis of parity of mother, socioeconomic status and education of care giver, and they should be examined thoroughly.