Join the 'Otitis Media' group to help and get support from people like you. How it works

Otitis Media Blog

Related terms: Ear Infection, acute middle, Ear Infection, middle, Middle Ear Infection, Otitis Media, acute, Ear Infection

Overview Questions & Answers (49)

Blog (12)

Group Members (16) RSS

Health Tip: Treating an Earache

Posted 8 Aug 2011 by Drugs.com

-- Ear infections can cause big pain in little ears. But you and your child's doctor can take steps to help ease the pain and discomfort. The American Academy of Family Physicians suggests how to ease earache pain: If antibiotics are prescribed for a bacterial infection, follow the pediatrician's directions carefully. After consulting with the doctor, offer acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Never give your child aspirin, because it can cause a rare but life-threatening condition called Reye's syndrome in kids and teens. Place a warm (not hot) heating pad over the sore ear. Use any pain-relieving ear drops prescribed by your child's pediatrician. Read more

Related support groups: Otitis Media, Chronic Otitis Media

Could a Type of Ear Infection Help Make Kids Obese?

Posted 21 Mar 2011 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, March 21 – New research hints at a surprising culprit for excess weight gain in kids: a certain type of ear infection. The new study finds that chronic middle-ear infections with fluid are linked to alterations in children's taste buds that change their sensitivity to certain foods. This, in turn, might cause kids to eat more of these foods and push them towards obesity, the Korean researchers speculate. But to see if chronic middle-ear infection actually helps cause obesity will take "larger studies with more patients," said Dr. Jeffrey P. Simons, assistant professor of otolaryngology at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. "As an initial study it's very provocative," he noted. "This doesn't necessarily mean that one causes the other," added Simons, who was not involved with the study. "There are a lot of risk factors for [this type of ear infection]," he said. The findings are ... Read more

Related support groups: Obesity, Otitis Media

1 in 5 Kids With Cold Develops Middle Ear Infection: Study

Posted 16 Feb 2011 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 16 – About one in five children with a cold or other respiratory viral infection develops a middle ear infection that may range from mild to severe, says a new study. U.S. researchers looked at the number of cases of middle ear infection – acute otitis media – among 294 children, ages 6 months to 3 years. Overall, 22 percent of the children developed a middle ear infection during the first week of respiratory infection. A diagnosis of acute otitis media was based on the presence of symptoms such as fever and earache, plus inflammation of the eardrum and fluid in the middle ear. Along with the 22 percent of children who developed the ear infection, another 7 percent had inflammation of the eardrum without fluid in the middle ear. Among the children with the middle ear infection, eardrum inflammation was rated mild in 8 percent, moderate in 59 percent and severe in 35 ... Read more

Related support groups: Otitis Media, Cold Symptoms, Chronic Otitis Media

Antibiotics Can Ease Kids' Ear Infections, Studies Show

Posted 12 Jan 2011 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 12 – Amid the ongoing controversy over routine antibiotic use for children with acute ear infections, two new studies support the practice when stringent diagnostic criteria are met. Researchers from Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and the University of Turku in Finland found antibiotics more effective than a placebo in reducing ear infection severity and duration in toddlers. In both studies, the rate of clinical failure – defined as persistent signs of acute infection – was dramatically lower days later among those prescribed amoxicillin-clavulanate (Augmentin) than in children left untreated. Acute ear infection, known medically as otitis media, is the most frequent bacterial illness diagnosed during early childhood and the most common reason antibiotics are prescribed for children in the United States, according to prior research. "The study underscores the need ... Read more

Related support groups: Augmentin, Otitis Media, Amoxicillin/Clavulanate, Chronic Otitis Media

Teens in Smoking Homes May Get More Ear Infections

Posted 7 Dec 2010 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Dec. 7 – Teens are almost two times more likely to get ear infections if there's a smoker in their household, Harvard researchers report. Researchers examined data collected from 90,961 American families between April 2007 and July 2008. They found that children ages 12 to 17 who live in homes with smokers are 1.67 times more prone to recurrent ear infections than adolescents who live in smoke-free homes. "Overall, we found that the proportion of households that use tobacco products is the same across all age groups, but family members are increasingly more likely to smoke indoors as their children become preteens and teenagers," lead author Summer Hawkins said in a Center for Advancing Health news release. "The reason why secondhand smoke may cause ear infections is not known completely, but secondhand smoke is an irritant and that may increase children's and adolescents' ... Read more

Related support groups: Smoking, Smoking Cessation, Otitis Media

Antibiotics a Mixed Bag for Kids' Ear Infections: Analysis

Posted 16 Nov 2010 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Nov. 16 – Antibiotics may help more children with acute ear infections recover quickly, but the drugs also come with the risk of side effects, concludes a new analysis of previous research. Between 4 and 10 percent of children experience side effects, such as diarrhea or rash, from antibiotic use, according to the analysis. "If you have 100 healthy children with an acute ear infection, about 80 would get better with just over-the-counter pain and fever relief – but if you treated all 100 of those kids with antibiotics, you would quickly cure 92 of them. But, the number of children who would benefit is similar to the number of children who would experience side effects like diarrhea and rash," explained the study's lead author, Dr. Tumaini Coker, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the Mattel Children's Hospital and the David Geffen School of Medicine at University of ... Read more

Race, Income Affect Care for Ear Infections: Study

Posted 1 Nov 2010 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Nov. 1 – Black and Hispanic children with frequent ear infections are less likely to have access to health care than white children, say U.S. researchers. They analyzed 1997 to 2006 data from the National Health Interview Survey and found that each year about 4.6 million children have frequent ear infections, defined as more than three infections over 12 months. Overall, 3.7 percent of children with frequent ear infections could not afford care, 5.6 percent could not afford prescriptions, and only 25.8 percent saw a specialist, said the researchers at Harvard Medical School and the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. When they focused on specific groups of children with frequent ear infections, the team found that: More black children (42.7 percent) and Hispanic children (34.5 percent) lived below the poverty level than white children ... Read more

Breast-Feeding for 6 Months May Prevent Infant Infections

Posted 28 Sep 2010 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Sept. 28 – Children who derive all their nutrition from breast-milk during their first six months of life are less prone to a host of common infections, new Greek research says. And when infection strikes, the ensuing illness is typically less severe among children who are exclusively breast-fed (having ingested no substitute formula) in their first half year, the study authors stated. The research, led by Emmanouil Galanakis from the department of pediatrics at the University of Crete in Heraklion, Greece, is published in the Sept. 28 online edition of the Archives of Disease in Childhood. In 2004, Galanakis and his colleagues looked at the feeding patterns and infection rates among nearly 1,000 Greek infants from birth to 1 year of age. All the infants had received their routine vaccinations and all were deemed to have access to high-quality health care. The study authors ... Read more

Repeated Ear Infections Seem to Plague White Kids, Poor Kids

Posted 11 Aug 2010 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 11 – White children and those in poor families are more likely to have repeated ear infections than other children, U.S. researchers have found. Ear infection (also called otitis media) is one of the most common health problems in children. By the age of 3, more than 80 percent of children have had at least one ear infection. The cost of medical and surgical treatment of these infections is $3 billion to $5 billion a year in the United States. About 4.65 million U.S. children suffer frequent ear infections each year, defined as more than three infections over 12 months, according to background information in the study by University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and Harvard University researchers. The research team analyzed 1997-2006 data from the U.S. National Health Interview Survey and found that the rates of frequent ear infections were 7 percent for white ... Read more

Related support groups: Otitis Media, Chronic Otitis Media

Ear Infections: New Thinking on What to Do

Posted 4 Jan 2010 by Drugs.com

SATURDAY, Jan. 2 – Parents who've ever suspected their youngster had an ear infection might have been inclined to call the doctor, schedule a visit and expect an antibiotics prescription. That's been the ritual. But no more. "Until eight or nine years ago, we'd treat each ear infection at diagnosis," said Dr. David Tunkel, director of pediatric otolaryngology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and chairman of the pediatrics committee for the American Academy of Otolaryngology. "The thought was, you would reduce the symptoms quicker," Tunkel said. "Then it became clear that many children who weren't treated with antibiotics actually did well without the initial treatment." As a result, Tunkel said, guidelines issued in 2004 by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Otolaryngology began to encourage what doctors call an "observation option." That means that ... Read more

Related support groups: Otitis Media, Chronic Otitis Media

Vaccine May Someday Thwart Ear Infections

Posted 9 Jul 2009 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, July 9 – U.S. researchers have developed a pain-free vaccination that might thwart ear infections in children. Antibiotics are typically used to treat ear infections, and surgery is often recommended for children with recurrent ear infections. "The emergence of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms and the invasive nature of the surgical procedure raise the need to develop different ways to treat or, preferably, prevent ear infection," Lauren Bakaletz, director of the Center for Microbial Pathogenesis in the Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, said in a news release from the hospital. She and her colleagues say a liquid that's rubbed on the ears can prevent ear infections. In testing on chinchillas, they said, it was highly effective. The vaccine works by prompting an immune response that reduces or eliminates NTHI, one of the bacteria ... Read more

Related support groups: Otitis Media, Chronic Otitis Media

Antibiotics May Boost Risk for Recurrent Ear Infection

Posted 1 Jul 2009 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, July 1 – Repeated use of antibiotics to treat acute ear infections in young children increases the risk of recurrent ear infections by 20 percent, according to researchers in the Netherlands who called for more prudent use of antibiotics in young children. The researchers found that 63 percent of children given the antibiotic amoxicillin experienced a recurrent ear infection within three years, compared with 43 percent of children given a placebo at the time of their initial infection. The finding came from a survey of parents of 168 children, 6 months to 2 years old, who took part in a study on the use of antibiotics to treat ear infections. The study results are published in the July 1 online edition of BMJ. In the group given amoxicillin, 47 out of 75 children had at least one recurrent ear infection, compared with 37 of 86 children in the placebo group. That equated to a ... Read more

Related support groups: Otitis Media, Chronic Otitis Media

Ask a Question

Further Information

Related Condition Support Groups

Chronic Otitis Media, Perforated Tympanic Membrane, Otitis Media with Perforation of Ear Drum, Ear Conditions

Related Drug Support Groups

amoxicillin, Bactrim, cephalexin, penicillin, azithromycin, Levaquin, Zithromax, Augmentin, Keflex, view more... erythromycin, trimethoprim, sulfamethoxazole, Bactrim DS, Biaxin, cefdinir, clarithromycin, Septra, cefuroxime, Omnicef, Amoxil, Rocephin, ampicillin, Ceftin, levofloxacin, ceftriaxone, cefixime, Ciprodex, Septra DS, sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim, Erythrocin, cefaclor, Ery-Tab, cefpodoxime, cefprozil, amoxicillin/clavulanate, SMZ-TMP DS, Sulfatrim, gatifloxacin, Cefzil, Ceclor, Biaxin XL, Augmentin XR, Cortisporin Otic, E-Mycin, Suprax, sulfisoxazole, cephradine, A/B Otic, antipyrine/benzocaine, Allergen, Tympagesic, Floxin Otic, Pediazole, Dynabac, Sulfatrim Pediatric, Ceclor CD, EES Granules, Zartan, Bethaprim, Bactrim Pediatric, Bactrim IV, Velosef, Ilosone, Vantin, EryPed, Penicillin G Procaine, Lorabid, Trimox, Bethaprim Pediatric, Cotrim Pediatric, erythromycin/sulfisoxazole, dirithromycin, Spectrobid, Drotic, Masporin Otic, Sulfimycin, Eryzole, ciprofloxacin/dexamethasone, colistin sulfate/hydrocortisone/neomycin/thonzonium bromide, benzathine penicillin/procaine penicillin, Aurodex, Amoclan, Trimpex, Truxazole, Gantrisin Pediatric, Cotrim, Uroplus, Otocort Sterile Solution, Septra IV, Cotrim DS, Uroplus DS, loracarbef, Pediotic, Omnicef Omni-Pac, Tequin Teqpaq, Levaquin Leva-Pak, Dynabac D5-Pak, antipyrine/benzocaine/phenylephrine, Coly-Mycin S, Co-trimoxazole, Bicillin C-R, Chlorphenylcaine, Keftab, Aurogard, E S P, Rx-Otic, Otigesic, Cortatrigen, Antibiotic Ear, UAD Otic, Gantanol, Otimar, ceftibuten, Cort-Biotic, bacampicillin, Auroto, ceftazidime, Oti-Sone, Cortatrigen Modified, PC Pen VK, Tazicef Novaplus, Erythrocin Lactobionate, Tazidime, Ceptaz, Totacillin-N, Cortisporin-TC, Robimycin, EES-400, EES-200, Zinacef, PCE Dispertab, Omnipen-N, Omnipen, Raniclor, Principen, Pfizerpen, Proloprim, Primsol, DisperMox, Veetids, Tequin, Otogesic, Cortomycin, Eryc, EES-400 Filmtab, Erythrocot, Bicillin L-A, Pen-Vee K, Isoject Permapen, Lorabid Pulvules, Dolotic, Ledercillin VK, Beepen-VK, A-Cillin, Gantrisin, Pen-V, V-Cillin K, Panixine, Biocef, Ceclor Pulvules, Fortaz, Tazicef, Kefurox, Cedax, Wymox, Biomox, Zmax, Augmentin ES-600, Moxilin, Amoxicot, Truxcillin VK