| New
Guidelines Outline Appropriate Treatment Of Ear Infections
A Millions of children every year suffer painful ear infections. And every
year, parents look to their child's doctor for help in easing the pain. The
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Academy of Family
Physicians (AAFP) have released new guidelines to help physicians and parents decide on the best treatment for acute otitis media (AOM), or middle
ear infection.
AOM is the most common bacterial illness in children and the one most
commonly treated with antibiotics. Says Allan Lieberthal, M.D., FAAP, co-chair of the guideline panel, "Accurate diagnosis of AOM is the key to
this guideline. We need to make sure that the child has AOM before prescribing an antibiotic. If a child is given an antibiotic and doesn't
need it, he or she may build up an antibiotic resistance and not respond to
them when needed for a more serious infection, such as pneumonia or meningitis." The guidelines stress that about 8 in 10 children with ear
infections get better with no antibiotics at all.
According to Ted Ganiats, M.D., a family physician in San Diego, Calif., and
co-chair of the guideline panel, the most important step to take in the case
of any ear infection is to relieve the child's pain. "We want parents and
doctors to first make the child comfortable with pain relievers such as
ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Antibiotics do not relieve pain during the
first 24 hours and do not reduce fever any quicker or better than pain
medicines," he said.
Antibiotics may be the right choice for children up to the age of 2 who have
ear infections, not just fluid in their ears. They may also be appropriate
if a child is very sick or has a high fever. The guideline provides an
option to observe select children and start antibiotic treatment only if
symptoms have not improved in 48-72 hours. The guideline also notes that 80
percent of children whose ear infections are not treated immediately with
antibiotics get better on their own and have no increased risk of a serious
infection.
www.aap.org is the link to view the new guidelines
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