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Antibiotics and Ear Infections
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What to know if your child has Otitis with Effusion (OME)
OME is fluid buildup in the ear. This fluid usually does not bother children, and it almost always
goes away on its own. Antibiotics are not needed unless the condition lasts over a month.
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| About Otitis (OME) |
| What are the main kinds of ear infections? |
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Swimmers's ear (otitis externa) is an infection of the ear canal that can be painful and is
treated with eardrops. |
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A middle ear infection, which a doctor might call acute otitis media (AOM) may cause ear
pain, fever, or an inflamed eardrum, and is often treated with oral antibiotics.
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What causes OME? |
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Fluid may build up in the middle ear for two reasons. When a child has a cold, the middle ear
makes fluid just as the nose does — it just doesn't run out as easily from the middle ear. After a
middle ear infection, fluid may take a month or longer to go away.
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| Are antibiotics ever needed for OME? |
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Sometimes antibiotics may be needed if the fluid is still present after a few months and is
causing decreased hearing in both ears. For this reason, your child will need an ear check in a
few months. If there is still fluid in the middle ear, your child may need a hearing test.
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| What should I do? |
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The best treatment is to wait and watch your child. Since fluid in the middle ear rarely
bothers children, it is best to let it go away on its own. Right now, your child does not need
antibiotics. |
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You may need to schedule a visit to see the doctor again in the few months to be sure the
fluid is gone. |
| Why not try antibiotics now? |
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Taking antibiotics when they are not needed can be harmful. Each time someone takes
antibiotics, they are more likely to carry resistant germs in their noses and throats. Common
antibiotics cannot kill these resistant germs. Your child may need antibiotics that are more
costly, given by a needle, and/or administered in the hospital. Since OME will almost always
get better on its own, it is better to wait and take antibiotics only when they are needed.
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