This study was designed to estimate both plasma and middle ear effusion (MEE)
superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels and to evaluate the relationship between clinical data
and macro- and microscopic characters of MEE and SOD levels. The study comprised 60
patients (36 males and 24 females) aged 4-16 years. After clinical examination, diagnosis
of otitis media with effusion (OME) was made by otomicroscopic findings and
tympanometry; there were 15 patients with bilateral and 45 patients with unilateral OME.
Blood sample was taken and MEE was collected by aspiration (with a Juhn-Tym-Tap) after
myringotorny under general anesthesia. There were 29 mucoid; 36 serous and 10 purulent
effusions. On the basis of polymorphnuclear leucocytes (PNL) content of MEEs, samples
were classified into 4 grades : grade I (7 samples), grade II (23 samples); grade III (22
samples) and grade IV (15 samples). Effusion SOD levels showed a significant (P<0.05)
increase compared to its levels in plasma, but with a non-significant correlation. Mucoid
effusions showed the highest SOD levels, followed by serous, than purulent effusion. There
was a significant (P<0.05) increase of SOD levels in mucoid effusion compared to its level
in other types of effusions and to plasma levels, and in serous effusion compared both to
purulent effusion and plasma levels, moreover, mean SOD level in purulent effusion
showed a significant (P<0.05) increase compared to plasma levels. According to PNL
content. SOD levels of MEE showed a significant (P<0.05) increase in grade IV compared
to the other grades, and in grades III and II samples compared to grade I samples. There
was a negative significant correlation between MEE levels of SOD and its PNL content, (r=
0.565, P<0.001), however, there was a positive significant correlation between SOD levels
and PNL content of MEE in grade III (r= 0.521, P= 0.013) and grade IV (r= 0.596, P=
0.019). We can conclude that prooxidant/antioxidant disequifibrium plays a major role in
pathogenesis and persistence of middle ear otitis media with effusion, and that SOD levels
were found to increase in MEEs independently of the plasma level, and in serous and
mucoid MEEs than in purulent MEEs |
