Q: My child gets a lot of ear infections. Are anti-biotics needed for all his ear
infections? I have heard all kinds of
information that they may even make my child’s condition worse. Is this true?
A: For decades, chiropractors have expressed
concern about the aggressive use of anti-biotics in children with ear
infection. Now, a study in the British Medical Journal validates that concern.
A total of 315 children
diagnosed with acute Otitis Media (inner ear infection) were assigned to 1 of 2
cohorts: 1) a 72 hour waiting period with no anti-biotic use or 2) immediate
anti-biotic intervention. Findings
showed that “immediate anti-biotic prescription provided symptomatic benefit
mainly after the first 24 hours, when symptoms were already resolving.” Although children who were given
anti-biotics recovered an average of 1 day earlier than children who did not
take the medication, no difference was seen in school absence or pain/distress
scores. Another finding demonstrated
99% of children in the watchful waiting group developed diarrhea, compared with
19% of those taking anti-biotics.
The final outcome was that
77% of parents of children in the watchful waiting group expressed satisfaction
with the care their youngsters received.
In addition, these parents were less likely than parents of children who
received anti-biotics to predict that their youngsters would require
anti-biotics for subsequent ear infections.
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