Treatment of Otitis Media and Incidence of Mastoiditis

Antibiotic treatment for otitis media halved the risk for mastoiditis, but 4831 antibiotic prescriptions were needed to prevent one case.

Children aged >2 years with otitis media (OM) are frequently observed, without immediate antibiotic treatment. But might today’s reduced use of antibiotics for OM increase the incidence of mastoiditis? Findings from previous studies have been inconclusive, probably because mastoiditis is uncommon. Now, using the U.K. General Practice Research Database, investigators have conducted a case review and retrospective cohort study to reexamine this question.

The researchers reviewed longitudinal computerized records for children aged 3 months to 15 years who were treated by primary care physicians in the U.K. between 1990 and 2006 (7,119,677 child-years of data). They identified children with mastoiditis and examined the records of these children …

Reviewing Author

Robert S. Baltimore, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsInfectious Diseases in Children

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesMember Committee on Rheumatic Fever, Endocarditis and Kawasaki Disease

Robert S. Baltimore, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsInfectious Diseases in Children

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesMember Committee on Rheumatic Fever, Endocarditis and Kawasaki Disease

Treatment of Otitis Media and Incidence of Mastoiditis

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Reviewing Author