Help For Your Baby’s Stubborn Ear Problem
- Posted by MetropolisMom on July 21st, 2008 filed in Baby Tips
For parents whose childred are troubled by persistent middle-ear fluid as a result of ear infections, a new treatment that combines antibiotics and prednisone-a type of steriod-may alleviate the need for ventilating tubes.
Typically, children with ear infections are treated with antibiotics. However, though the infection may heal, many children are left with residual fluid trapped in the middle ear, a condition known as effusion.
The fluid usually clears up on its own but can remain trapped for months, causing temporary hearing loss and making children vulnerable to repeated ear infections. Treatment for effusion-an additional round of antibiotics-does not always work, surgical insertion of ventilating tubes to drain the fluid may have to be performed.
Studies show most children who received the new therapy, middle-ear fluid cleared up within a month. Treatment is prescribed to children between the ages of 5 months and 1 year.
Youngsters who took the steriod for 7 days along with the antibiotic for 30 days showed the best results. Therapy should be given only to chilren whose effusion has not cleared up within six weeks.
Kids who have never had chicken pox but have been exposed to virus within the previous month should not be given steroids. Doing so could cause the children to develop a more serious case of chicken pox.
Leave a Comment