A controlled trial comparing three treatments for chronic otitis media with effusion.
A randomized, controlled clinical trial was conducted in 76 children to evaluate the efficacy of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole for 4 weeks, prednisone for 2 weeks and aluminum ibuprofen suspension for 2 weeks in resolving chronic otitis media with effusion which had persisted for more than 8 weeks. After 2 weeks of treatment resolution rates of chronic otitis media with effusion in the prednisone and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole groups were significantly greater than those in the control (no treatment) and ibuprofen groups. After 4 weeks the differences in resolution rates between the control, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and prednisone groups became smaller. After 12 months of follow-up, differences in hearing sensitivity among study groups were not statistically significant, although 83% of patients had a 15-dB or greater hearing loss. Therefore short term antimicrobial and antiinflammatory treatment did not appear to have a long lasting effect on chronic middle ear inflammation.
University of Minnesota Otitis Media Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Minneapolis.
G S
GS
Giebink
P B
PB
Batalden
C T
CT
Le
F M
FM
Lassman
D J
DJ
Buran
A E
AE
Seltz
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007052:Ibuprofen / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007223:Infant; D010034:Otitis Media with Effusion / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011241:Prednisone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012008:Recurrence; D012044:Regression Analysis; D015662:Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D015662:Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination; D011241:Prednisone; D007052:Ibuprofen