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Antibiotics-Ear Infection Controversy Continues

Prescribing antibiotics at the first signs of acute otitis media (ear infection) in children between 6 months and 2 years old is not justified, according to a new study from the Netherlands.

Research on the use of and necessity of antibiotics in the treatment of inner ear infections is mixed, several studies ardently support its immediate use while others say it is unnecessary.

The latest study, published in a recent British Medical Journal, of 240 children was conducted between February 1996 and May 1998 in the Netherlands, where all patients are treated initially by their own general practitioner. Children aged between 6 and 24 months were eligible if they presented with acute otitis media & defined as infection of the middle ear.

According to the researchers, only eight children with acute otitis media need to be treated with amoxicillin to improve symptomatic outcome at day four of their symptoms. Additionally, duration of fever was two days in the amoxicillin group versus three in the placebo group. No significant difference was observed in duration of pain or crying, but analgesic consumption was higher in the placebo group during the first 10 days.

For more on the study and a bibliography of other antibiotics-ear infection studies, visit the British Medical Journal Web site.

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