Abstract

Background: Aspergillus was defined as the main etiology of otomycosis, which covered 80% of cases of outer ear infection as well as 9% of external otitis cases. Objective: Our study contributed to the analysis and assessment of the clinical results of Iraqi people who have otomycosis. Patients and methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled data from 70 patients ages 20–40, collected from hospitals located in different hospitals in Iraq for people who were diagnosed with otomycosis symptoms, including ear discomfort, itching, tinnitus, and hearing loss, where the Chronic Otitis Media Questionnaire 20 (COMQ-20) scale and the Sartorato categorization system were used for determining the impact of chronic otitis media on their quality of life. Also, the COMQ-20 scale assessed items related to quality of life in terms of hearing challenges, whereas the Sartorato categorization system assessed chronic venous insufficiency, particularly varicose veins. Results: Our findings found that males had a greater prevalence of the cases than females, within a rate of 60% and 40%, the rate of comorbidities was 35.71%, smoking rate was 34.29%, most prevalent symptoms in patients were itching (64.29%) and pain (20%), most prevalent fungal species in patients were Aspergillus niger (60%) and Candida albicans (24.29%), severity of otomycosis was identified into mild in 12 cases, moderate in 25 cases, and severe in 33 cases. The most significant impacts on quality of life were hearing function (45.35 ± 23.76) and emotions and activities (52.72 ± 10.25). Factors that had a significant impact on quality of life were observed in hearing function (45.35 ± 23.76), followed by emotions and activities (52.72 ± 10.25). Conclusion: Our study identified that itching is the common clinical sign of otomycosis related to fungi infection, which otomycosis is more prevalent in men and is caused by earbuds, where it has negatively impacted individuals’ quality of life, emotions, activities, and hearing function