When it comes to ear infections, antibiotics may be enough to treat the infection without having to resort to tubes. Ear infections are incredibly common in children, and when they are persistent enough, a lot of moms are advised by medical professionals to get tubes put in their child’s ears. While relatively easy and uncomplicated, getting tubes put in a child’s ear is still a procedure, and moms may want to avoid putting their child through a procedure if there is another option that works well for their health. Recent studies are showing that tubes may not have any long-term benefits.
According to Medical Xpress and EurekAlert, a study is showing that there is no lasting benefit of tubes versus antibiotics. Getting tubes put in may make sense to mom if they are going to provide additional supports later in life, but this may not be the case.
The trial was done by UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh. The team of pediatrician-scientists found that there was no benefit of placing tubes in a child’s ears and that oral antibiotics work just as well when treating this common childhood illness. This study is among the first of its kind to provide evidence that may change how ear infections are treated by pediatricians.
Even though the procedure is quite routine and common, it is still a situation where children are put under anesthesia and taken into surgery, and those come with risks for young children. Since antibiotics are proving to work just as well, they may carry a lower risk for the child and maybe the “safer” option for a mom and her medical team to choose.
Ear infections are common in young children, but as the child gets older the chance of them drastically drops. By putting tubes in a child’s ear for a couple of years, it protects them from developing an infection.
The team looked at 250 children between the ages of 6 and 35 months of age. The children all had a history of ear infections and were split into groups who would receive tubes and who would receive oral antibiotics. They followed these children for 2 years and they found that there was no difference between children when it came to how often they got ear infections, or how severe they were. They found that tubes did not enhance a child’s life or show anyway that they are the better treatment option for children.
Sources: Medical Xpress, EurekAlert