En diciembre de 2019 se reportó a la oficina de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) los primeros casos de neumonía de etiología desconocida en Wuhan, Provincia Hubei, China. Posteriormente, se identificó como agente causal un nuevo virus de la familia coronavirus (CoV). La enfermedad fue nombrada por la OMS como enfermedad coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19, por su sigla en inglés). Por su rápida expansión global y alta infectividad, se declaró la enfermedad como una emergencia sanitaria mundial. La mortalidad se ha visto que varía dependiendo de la región. Múltiples países, incluyendo Colombia, han logrado desarrollar medidas de contención fundamentadas en el aislamiento social con un gran impacto socioeconómico secundario. El siguiente artículo describe el cuadro clínico del virus, su comportamiento epidemiológico en Colombia y qué medidas públicas se han adoptado en Colombia y otros países latinoamericanos frente a la pandemia.

Background Despite the high prevalence of chronic otitis media (COM) in low to middle-income countries, there are few studies regarding its associated factors, health-related quality of life, and treatment costs. This study aimed to identify associated factors of COM, assess its impact on the quality of life as well as estimate the patients’ reported costs of COM treatment in Colombia. Methods Cross-sectional study. Two otology-referral centers in Bogotá (Colombia) were included. Questionnaires focusing on sociodemographic and clinical associated factors, quality of life, and patients’ reported costs were administered to 200 adults with COM diagnosis and 144 control adults. Otoscopic evaluation and audiometric data were collected. Results The mean age was 42.2 years (SD: 14.44). The median length of COM was 26.13 years (SD: 17.06), and 79.5% of the COM patients reported otorrhea during childhood (P-value: 0.01). The most frequently reported allergic disease among our study population was allergic rhinitis (26.5%). COM was less frequent in patients with a medium-high socioeconomic status (PR: 0.54; 95% CI: 0.39–0.72), and more frequent in patients who reported increased ear discharge due to upper respiratory tract infections (PR: 1.69; 95% CI: 1.68–1.70). The global score of the “Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media Questionnaire-12” showed a difference of 9 points between patients with active and inactive COM (P < 0.001). Patients spent between 12.07% to 60.37% of their household income on expenses related to COM. Conclusions Associated factors found in this study are consistent with previous reports. COM has a significant financial impact and affects patients’ quality of life. Worldwide research addressing these issues in poor-resource countries is scarce, further studies are needed.

Background Evaluation of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is considered an important aspect of clinical assessment and health research. Chronic Otitis Media (COM) is related to the quality of life deterioration subsequent to COM symptoms, social communication impairments, and lower work performance. However, there is no reliable information regarding the impact of this disease on health and quality of life in many resource-poor countries. Therefore, we translated into Spanish the Chronic Otitis Media Questionnaire-12 (COMQ-12) for the evaluation of HRQoL of Chronic Otitis Media (COM) in adult patients. Also, we assessed the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the questionnaire. Methods Two otology referral centers in Bogotá, Colombia were included. The Spanish version of COMQ-12 was applied twice to 200 adult patients with confirmed COM diagnosis and 31 healthy controls to perform the validation process and assess the internal consistency of this questionnaire. Psychometric characteristics (internal consistency, test–retest reliability, and construct validity) of the COMQ-12 were assessed. Exploratory Factor Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis were conducted via structural equation modeling to test the questionnaire’s structure. Results The Spanish version of the COMQ-12 showed good internal consistency (Cronbach’s Alpha: 0.86, McDonald’s Omega: 0.89). Coefficients corresponding to Lin’s Concordance test and test–retest reliability were 0.95 and 0.83 respectively. Correlation between the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and the COMQ-12 was 0.68 (95% CI 0.59–0.75, p value < 0.001). Factor analysis of the Spanish version of the COMQ-12 indicated a questionnaire structure with three domains: smelly discharge related symptoms; hearing loss related symptoms; and impact on work, lifestyle, and health services. Conclusion This Spanish version of the COMQ-12 showed high reliability and high internal consistency. This questionnaire can be used as an objective clinical tool to assess the HRQoL of patients who have a COM diagnosis. Trial registration Hospital Universitario Fundación Santa Fe, Ethical Committee Registration ID: CCEI-8807-2018. Hospital de San José, Ethical Committee: Record number 500, DI-I-0632-18.

Background: Evaluation of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is considered an important aspect of clinical assessment and health research. Chronic Otitis Media (COM) is related to the quality of life deterioration subsequent to COM symptoms, social communication impairments, and lower work performance. However, there is no reliable information regarding the impact of this disease on health and quality of life in many resource-poor countries. Therefore, we translated into Spanish and culturally adapted the Chronic Otitis Media Questionnaire-12 (COMQ-12) for the evaluation of HRQoL of Chronic Otitis Media (COM) in adult patients. Also, we assessed the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the questionnaire. Methods: Two otology referral centers in Bogotá, Colombia were included. The Spanish version of COMQ-12 was applied twice to 200 adult patients with confirmed COM diagnosis and 31 healthy controls to perform the validation process and assess the internal consistency of this questionnaire. Psychometric characteristics (internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and construct validity) of the COMQ-12 were assessed. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were conducted via structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the questionnaire’s structure. Results: The Spanish version of the COMQ-12 showed good internal consistency (Cronbach’s Alpha: 0.852, McDonald’s Omega: 0.890). Coefficients corresponding to Lin’s Concordance test and test-retest reliability were 0.945 and 0.825 respectively. Correlation between the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and the COMQ-12 was 0.676 (95% CI: 0.593; 0.745) . Factor analysis of the Spanish version of the COMQ-12 indicated a questionnaire structure with three domains: smelly discharge related symptoms; hearing loss related symptoms; and impact on work, lifestyle, and health services . Conclusion: This Spanish version of the COMQ-12 showed high reliability and high internal consistency. This questionnaire can be used as an objective clinical tool to assess the HRQoL of patients who have a COM diagnosis. Trial registration Not applicable. Key Words: Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media, Health-Related Quality of Life, COMQ-12, validity.

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