Acute otitis media in children: treatment and follow-up
EBM Guidelines
Mar 27, 2024 • Completely updated
Table of contents
Extract
- Treatment is based on careful diagnosis (see Diagnosis of otitis media: definitions and workup Diagnosis of otitis media: definitions and workup1. If acute otitis media (AOM) is only suspected, antimicrobial drugs are not indicated.
- Treatment is always individual: AOM often resolves without antimicrobials In children with acute otitis media (AOM), antibiotic treatment reduces pain at 2 to 3 days compared with placebo, but in high-income countries most children settle spontaneously without complications. Antibiotics appear to be most useful in children under two years of age with bilateral AOM, or with both AOM and otorrhoea.A but antimicrobials may hasten recovery (fever and ear pain).
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Linked evidence summaries
- In children with acute otitis media (AOM), antibiotic treatment reduces pain at 2 to 3 days compared with placebo, but in high-income countries most children settle spontaneously without complications. Antibiotics appear to be most useful in children under two years of age with bilateral AOM, or with both AOM and otorrhoea.A
- Delayed prescribing for non-severe acute otitis media results in avoidance of antibiotics in more than half of the cases, with only slightly more symptoms compared with immediate prescribing.A
- After acute otitis effusion is found in the middle ear for several weeks but disappears sooner when treated with antibiotics compared to placebo, at least in some children.A
Search terms
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