For this reason, among others, doctors have often recommended treating early ear infections with ventilation tubes. However, a new study published in the September 2000 issue of the journal Pediatrics shows that tubes may not necessarily be the answer. Treatment with ventilation tubes was compared with watchful waiting in children with persistent otitis. Language development was tested six and 12 months later. The study found that ventilation tubes did not have a substantial effect on language development in the children.
Ear infections are the most common reason doctors prescribe antibiotics.
In addition, overuse of newer drugs is rendering them less effective on the more severe infections for which they were developed. Recent recommendations fromthe National Centers for Disease Control advise doctors to stick to simple antibiotics, in particular the old standby, amoxicillin, as the first choice. If there is no relief after three days, the CDC recommends switching to a newer, more expensive drug, such as Augmentin, developed specifically for drug-resistant bacteria. Guidelines published by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 1994 make similar recommendations on when to use which drugs. I've seen published studies that show as many as 80 percent of ear infections will resolve without treatment.