Inner ear infections are very common in infants and young children. The most prescribed treatment for these inner ear infections is an antibiotic. For young patients who suffer from recurrent inner ear infections, the Infection is usually accompanied by a build up of fluid in the middle or inner ear, known as effusion. Due to the debatable effect of Antibiotics on inner and middle ear effusion, an analysis of ear infection based studies was performed by a Dutch research team. The results lead researchers to believe the benefits of antibiotics on inner and middle ear effusions do not outweigh the possible effects of the drug on the body.
The results of the over use of prescription antibiotics has been the subject of study for many years. When antibiotics are prescribed in situations where they can clearly be avoided, patients can suffer from antibiotic resistance and other harmful side effects. This study, which included a collection of data spanning more than 1,300 children, was aimed at proving the ineffectiveness of antibiotics on inner and middle ear effusion.
The results of the study clearly showed that antibiotics do not help prevent or treat inner and middle ear effusion. In fact, 90% of the patients who took an antibiotic for an inner or middle ear infection still displayed a collection of fluid in the ear during the course of the treatment.
Even though inner and middle ear effusion can lead to hearing loss, fellow researchers question the validity of the results. Outside researchers maintained the fact that doctors do not usually prescribe antibiotics for the effusion occurring during an ear infection, but for the ear infection itself.
