PMID: 11917824Mar 29, 2002Paper

A child with earache. Are antibiotics the best treatment?

Australian Family Physician
Chris Del Mar, Paul Glasziou

Abstract

Conventional management of acute otitis media, deduced from pathophysiology, embodies scant regard to analgesia, but concentrates on the microbiological cure by the use of antibiotics. A commonly encountered case of uncomplicated acute otitis media in a child of three is presented. An evidence based approach to management is offered. The search for empirical evidence of patient relevant benefits and harms challenges the conventional approach. A Cochrane review of the literature on the use of antibiotics for acute otitis media shows that the benefits of antibiotic use (reduced pain in those children who go on to suffer pain beyond 24 hours) are offset by adverse events from the antibiotics themselves (gastrointestinal symptoms and rashes). There is insufficient information to be sure about rare complications of not using antibiotics as well using them, but it seems that in either case, catastrophe is very rare. Thinking in terms of a balance of harms and benefits would result in a decreased proportion of children prescribed antibiotics for acute otitis media.

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Antifungals (ASM)

An antifungal, also known as an antimycotic medication, is a pharmaceutical fungicide or fungistatic used to treat and prevent mycosis such as athlete's foot, ringworm, candidiasis, cryptococcal meningitis, and others. Discover the latest research on antifungals here.

Antifungals

An antifungal, also known as an antimycotic medication, is a pharmaceutical fungicide or fungistatic used to treat and prevent mycosis such as athlete's foot, ringworm, candidiasis, cryptococcal meningitis, and others. Discover the latest research on antifungals here.

Related Papers

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
G P SchwartzP G Katsoyannis
Respiration Physiology
H K Chang, A Harf
© 2022 Meta ULC. All rights reserved