Antibiotics and Ear Infections: Should Children Take Them?

Every parent has been there. One minute your child is well and the next they are tugging their ears crying because of an earache. Your first reaction is to immediately rush them to the doctor in hopes of receiving a very good prescription for antibiotics. Why not? Aren't antibiotics a better choice for faster relief? Besides they would cure the body of all ailments and infections better than some over-the-counter medications, right?

Wrong! New studies have shown that administering antibiotics immediately to children at the onset of an ear infection is no longer recommended. The preferred method of treating ear infections in children is to follow the wait-and-see approach before administering any form of antibiotic.

In 2004 the American Academy of Pediatrics released a clinical practice guideline on the diagnosis and management of ear infections. Apparently there has been a growing concern over the frequency of antibacterial prescriptions and the increasing resistance among many of the pathogens that has resulted from frequent antibiotic use.

What is an ear infection?

An ear infection is an inflammation, or infection, of the middle ear. Most ear infections are caused by bacteria, but viruses can lead to an ear infection. The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of ear infections, followed by influenza (flu) viruses. It often happens during a cold, or some other form of illness. This is why prescribing antibiotics for treatment doesn't always work because they can kill bacteria and not viruses.

Ear infections often occur in infants and young children. Often when children are sick they normally have an ear infection. Roughly three out of four children will experience an ear infection before they turn 7 years old. Children often have a harder time fighting an illness than adults. As a result, they develop ear infections more often. It is believed that children can also develop an ear infection as a result of hanging around cigarette smoke.

Different types of otitis media