What Doctors Don't Tell YouAntibiotics are largely ineffective in treating recurring ear infection in children, according to an analysis of 33 studies looking at this method of treatment.
GLUE EAR: Don't operate
A UK government leaflet alerting doctors to the ineffectiveness of grommets for persistent glue ear (chronic otitis media with effusion) is credited with the consistent decrease in their use over the last 15 years.
Reader's Corner
Reader's Corner
Otitis media (OM) - inflammation of the middle ear - is a common childhood affliction the world over. Every year, there are about 1.5 million cases in the UK, and 2.2 million cases in the US.
* It should only be in cases of prolonged hearing loss, affecting speech development. Some studies advocate a three-month waiting period, though one suggests that a delay of even six months
* Monitor the ears for signs of acute infection. As well as effusion, the sufferer will have fever, pain, irritability and poor appetite, among others. The ear will be very red and hot, with a bulging eardrum;
Glue ear that most common of childhood conditions may be caused by allergy, according to a growing body of opinion. ...
There's no advantage of early surgery to treat preschool children with otitis media with effusion (OTE), or glue ear. ...
