Clinical manifestations and associated factors of deviated nasal septum in the pediatric population: A retrospective cross-sectional chart review.

BACKGROUND: Deviated nasal septum (DNS) is a common condition in children that may present with symptoms such as nasal obstruction and mouth breathing. This study aimed to describe the distribution of DNS types, clinical manifestations, and documented birth- and trauma-related characteristics among children with DNS. METHODOLOGY: A retrospective cross-sectional chart review was conducted among children aged 6-10 years diagnosed with DNS. Demographic characteristics, birth-related parameters, trauma history, and clinical features were extracted from medical records. Associations between DNS type, documented clinical characteristics, and birth- and trauma-related factors were analyzed using the chi-square test or Fisher's exact test, as appropriate, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05 using IBM SPSS Statistics version 29.0.0. RESULTS: A total of 150 children were included, comprising 117 boys (78.0%) and 33 girls (22.0%), with a mean age of 8.47 ± 1.23 years (mean ± standard deviation [SD]). Mid-septal DNS was the most common type (116, 77.3%), followed by anterior/caudal deviation (34, 22.7%). The most frequently documented clinical manifestations were nasal obstruction (77, 51.3%) and mouth breathing (70, 46.7%). Among children with available birth-related data (n = 89), most were delivered by normal vaginal delivery (64, 71.9%) and had a cephalic fetal presentation (83, 93.3%), while low birth weight was documented in 10 cases (11.2%). Mode of delivery (p = 0.032) and fetal presentation (p < 0.001) were significantly associated with DNS type. Documented facial trauma was reported in 37 children (24.7%). Nasal obstruction (p < 0.001) and external nasal deformity (p = 0.009) were also significantly associated with DNS type. Documented facial trauma was significantly associated with age (p = 0.017) and nasal obstruction (p = 0.008), but not with sex or other evaluated variables. CONCLUSION: Mid-septal deviation was the most frequently documented type of DNS in this pediatric cohort. Nasal obstruction and mouth breathing were the most common clinical manifestations. Several documented birth-related characteristics, facial trauma, and clinical features were significantly associated with DNS type within this cohort. These findings describe the characteristics of children with DNS in this retrospective cross-sectional chart review and may help guide future prospective studies.