What’s finest for recurring ear infections in youngsters?

“The ages of the children in the study … coincide with what is considered the sensitive time for language and language development,” Cosetti said.

Unlike antibiotics, ear tubes could “provide immediate relief from hearing loss related to middle ear fluid – the value of which may be difficult to quantify in the current study.”

For Sobol, the study emphasizes “the importance of developing an individual management approach”.

The study included 250 children, aged 6 months to nearly 3 years, who had repeated otitis media – at least three within six months or four within a year.

Hoberman’s team randomly directed her to either have an ear tube surgically placed or to be given oral antibiotics if a new infection emerged.

Children who were given ear tubes were also given antibiotics if a new infection emerged – but through ear drops. When that didn’t work, they switched to oral antibiotics.

One possible benefit of ear tubes, according to Hoberman, is that they allow antibiotics for ear drops. This could reduce the risk of bacteria developing resistance to antibiotics elsewhere in the body.

During the two-year study, however, there was no clear benefit of ear tubes for new infections or antibiotic resistance.

The average rate of recurring ear infections was around 1.5 per year in the ear tube group and 1.7 in the comparison group. The infections decreased in both groups by the second year.

The study found that children with ear tubes spent fewer days on oral antibiotics.

However, the two treatment groups showed no difference in the likelihood of harboring antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the nose or throat.

However, Sobol pointed out that there are a few other benefits in the ear tube group.

For one thing, they tended to stay infection-free longer before their first recurrence. They also generally had fewer days with symptoms of infection – with the exception of the drainage from the ear.

At the same time, according to Hoberman, ear tubes pose risks, albeit only minor ones. Bleeding or reactions to the anesthesia may occur during the procedure. In the long term, the tube can become clogged or cause structural changes in the eardrum.