GLUE Ear - known medically as otitis media with effusion (OME) - is an annual problem for many, young children once the colds and flu season starts. Lately, the issue of whether or not, such, children should receive antibiotics has been a sticky question with GPs and parents alike.
A Dutch study of 400 children, reported in The Lancet, has come down firmly on the side of antibiotic therapy. The 400 had gone to their GPs with OME and were asked to wait for three months. After this period, 162 of the children still had OME. Half of these received antibiotics for two weeks and the other half, received a placebo. At the end of the period, children on the antibiotic had tared much better and were less likely to get a recurrence. The study's authors concluded that while doctors need to weigh up each child's suitability for such treatment, there was no doubt that before referral to an ENT surgeon, children with persistent OME should be considered for shortterm antibiotic treatment.