The below articles are a list of articles all published about ear infections and antibiotics,
In the last few years we have sean a sharp increase in doctors awareness that antibiotics are not ticktack’s and should not be subscribed carelessly.
 

Children treated with amoxicillin for acute otitis media are more likely to experience a recurrent infection than children not treated with antibiotics, according to a study published online June 30 in BMJ.

Natalia Bezakova, of the University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands, and colleagues conducted a study of 168 children, aged 6 months to 2 years, recruited from 53 Dutch general practices who presented with acute otitis media and who were randomized to receive either 40 mg/day of amoxicillin or placebo.

Of the 75 children in the amoxicillin group, 47 (63 percent) experienced a recurrence of infection, compared to 37 (43 percent) of the 86 children treated with placebo, the investigators found. Referral rates to secondary care were the same for both groups, at 30 percent; however, only 21 percent of the amoxicillin group were referred for ear, nose and throat surgery, compared to 30 percent in the placebo group.

"Owing to the delay in reporting the results of this survey, changes in practice since then may have reduced the applicability of our results. As antibiotics are still widely prescribed in young children with acute otitis media, however, we believe that the results of our study are still applicable to current day-to-day practice," the authors conclude. "This is another argument for judicious use of antibiotics in children with acute otitis media."

Giving children antibiotics for an ear infection could make them more vulnerable to similar infections in future, a new study has found. The researchers say that antibiotics should be used more carefully.

What do we know already?

Ear infections are one of the most common childhood illnesses, affecting almost all children at some point. Simple painkillers, like paracetamol, are the standard treatment.

Antibiotics help children get better more quickly, but there are downsides. These include potential side effects for the child, like diarrhoea, and also a wider risk that bacteria will evolve resistance to commonly used antibiotics, creating 'superbugs' that can't be easily treated.

At the moment, doctors are advised to offer antibiotics to children under 2 and to those with more severe infections. However, not much is known about the long-term consequences of giving antibiotics. A new study followed 168 children for 3 years after treatment to see what the after effects might be.

What does the new study say?

Children who took antibiotics for an ear infection had a higher risk of further infections over the next 3 years.

In the group of children who were originally treated with antibiotics, 63 in 100 went on to get another ear infection. Only 43 in 100 children got another infection if they'd been given an inactive placebo.

There are a couple of possible explanations for the results. Antibiotics could kill off some of the weaker bacteria causing the infection, leaving more space for tougher, antibiotic-resistant bacteria to grow. It's also possible that killing bacteria with antibiotics means less work for a child's immune system, leading to weaker protection from infections in future.

How reliable are the findings?

The researchers relied on a questionnaire, filled in by children's parents, to find out how common repeated ear infections were. So, the accuracy of the results depends partly on how well parents could remember their children's illnesses over the previous 3 years.

About 3 in 10 children given a placebo went on to have ear, nose, and throat surgery because of their original infection, compared with only 2 in 10 of the children given antibiotics. This could have affected the long-term results by changing the children's risk of future ear infections.

Where does the study come from?

The study was done in the Netherlands. It was published in the BMJ (British Medical Journal), which is owned by the British Medical Association.

Funding came from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research.

What does this mean for me?

Ear infections can be painful for children, but 8 in 10 cases clear up in a couple of days without treatment. Doctors usually recommend painkillers while the child gets better.

The research does show that children get better more quickly with antibiotics, but the benefits are small and might not outweigh the side effects. In one study, 81 percent of children got better in 1 to 2 weeks with no treatment, compared with 95 percent of children who took antibiotics.

Given the limited benefits of antibiotics, the chance of side effects like diarrhoea, and the wider problem of superbugs, the new study gives us even more reason to use antibiotics only when absolutely necessary.

As a compromise, doctors sometimes write a prescription and suggest parents wait a few days before using it. That way, if your child gets better, you needn't bother with treatment. If your child gets worse, you can pick up the antibiotics without needing another doctor's appointment.

What should I do now?

If older children get an ear infection, they'll probably say their ear hurts. Younger children might rub or tug their ear, and cry more than usual. You might also notice a high temperature, a cough or cold, and fluid coming out of one or both of your child's ears.

If you notice these signs, you could try treating your child with an over-the-counter painkiller, such as paracetamol. It's important to follow the package instructions and give the correct dose of painkiller, depending on the child's age. However, if you're unsure what's wrong, if painkillers don't seem to be working, or if you're worried for any reason, talk to a doctor.

another antibiotics kills us artcle :

Researchers call for caution on antibiotics for infant ear infections

The trial, conducted across 53 general practices in the Netherlands, included 168 children aged six months to two years of age and found 63% of children given amoxicillin for acute ear infections had a recurrence of the infection within three years, compared to a 43% rate of recurrence in children given a placebo.

However, 30% of children in the placebo group had to undergo ear, nose, and throat surgery on initial infection, compared with only 21% in the amoxicillin group which researchers said may have affected the results.

Current guidelines recommend prescribing antibiotics to children with severe illness and in those younger than two years of age with severe infection, but research shows this might not be the best option.

The researchers suggested that the difference in recurrence rates between the two groups could be due antibiotic use that may cause an ‘unfavourable shift’ towards the growth of resistant bacteria, which in turn causes a weakening of the children’s natural immune response system.

Study author Dr Roger Damoiseaux a GP in Hattem the Netherlands, told Pulse: ‘These facts should make us cautious to change guidelines for acute otitis media on the basis of these findings alone. In the Netherlands the guidelines for acute otitis media are more restrictive compared with other countries.

‘We advise giving antibiotics for children less than 6 months old, children with risk factors for an extended course and children who are very ill at presentation. This research certainly adds some proof against an abundant use of antibiotics in young children.’

Antibiotics May Boost Risk for Recurrent Ear Infection

Repeated use of antibiotics to treat acute ear infections in young children increases the risk of recurrent ear infections by 20 percent, according to researchers in the Netherlands who called for more prudent use of antibiotics in young children.

The researchers found that 63 percent of children given the antibiotic amoxicillin experienced a recurrent ear infection within three years, compared with 43 percent of children given a placebo at the time of their initial infection.

The finding came from a survey of parents of 168 children, 6 months to 2 years old, who took part in a study on the use of antibiotics to treat ear infections. The study results are published in the July 1 online edition of BMJ.

In the group given amoxicillin, 47 out of 75 children had at least one recurrent ear infection, compared with 37 of 86 children in the placebo group. That equated to a 2.5 times higher risk of recurrent ear infection for the amoxicillin group.

However, the study also found that 30 percent of children in the placebo group had ear, nose and throat surgery after their initial infection, compared with 21 percent in the amoxicillin group.

The higher recurrence rate among children who took amoxicillin could be due to a weakening of their body's natural immune response as a result of taking an antibiotic at the initial stage of infection, the researchers said. Antibiotic use in such cases may cause an "unfavorable shift" toward the growth of resistant bacteria.

Antibiotics may reduce the length and severity of the initial ear infection, but may also result in a higher number of recurrent infections and antibiotic resistance, the researchers stated. Because of this, they said, doctors need to be careful in their use of antibiotics in children with ear infections.