Babies, Parenting, Child Health, Infant Nutrition

Baby Development – Antibiotics Do Not Prevent Fluid Buildup in Children’s Ear Infections

26.02.2008 | 11:17:46 am | Posted by admin

By Colleen Hurley, RD, Certified Kid’s Nutrition Specialist

When your baby has an earache, it can be just awful to see them suffer. Ear infections are highly common for infants, although certainly an unfortunate illness. The natural inclination is to try to ease your baby’s suffering and the pain that is associated with ear infections; and in a hurry. Ear infections are the number one reason antibiotics are prescribed for infants. A new study, however, reveals that antibiotics may not be helpful in alleviating symptoms.

A meta-analysis of previous studies relating to ear infection treatments discovered that antibiotics do not decrease fluid buildup in infant’s ears when prescribed for middle ear infections. Researchers reviewed data taken from 1,328 children aged 6 months to 12 years. All of the children had participated in previous studies where use of antibiotics versus placebos was compared. Approximately half of the children studied were prescribed antibiotics and 44% were under the age of 2. Antibiotics did not prevent fluid accumulation for those children who took the medication. Middle ear infections, or otitis media, can lead to fluid build up in the ear causing a more acute case. This fluid build up can lead to developmental problems as chronic fluid in the ear can cause hearing loss. The hearing loss can affect language, behavior, and cognitive development.

Authors of the study advise doctors not to prescribe antibiotics as a means of preventing fluid build up for 2 reasons. For one, they did not prove effective for this course of treatment, and secondly, over-prescribing antibiotics can lead to antibiotic resistance. Another interesting story this week in the New York Times echoes the researchers’ statement saying 80-90% of bacterial ear infections clear up on their own. Since infants cannot tell you how they are feeling, an ear infection can be difficult to diagnose as symptoms are similar to when a baby is teething.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so keeping your child healthy is equally as important as treatment options. View the Keep Kid’s HealthyThis Winter post for more information.

Here are a few tips for preventing ear (and other) infections:

breastfeeding: studies have shown over and over again that breastfeeding reduces the risk or ear infections, asthma, and other allergies
keep your baby upright when feeding: sitting upright prevents liquids from entering inner ears
control allergens: this includes allergenic foods, environmental allergens, and cigarette smoke; all of which can lead to chronic stuffy noses that end up in ear infections
check your daycare: daycares are notoriously loaded with germs, so look into the daycare’s sanitizing routines and rules about parents bringing sick children to the daycare. If it doesn’t meet your standards you may need to switch to a smaller daycare where there are less children

Reference:
Antibiotic Therapy to Prevent the Development of Asymptomatic Middle Ear Effusion in Children With Acute Otitis Media
Laura Koopman, MSc; Arno W. Hoes, MD, PhD; Paul P. Glasziou, MD, PhD; Cees L. Appelman, MD, PhD; Peter Burke, FRCGP, MRCP(Ire); David P. McCormick, MD; Roger A. Damoiseaux, MD, PhD; Nicole Le Saux, MD, PhD; Maroeska M. Rovers, PhD
Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2008;134(2):128-132

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The Baby Mum-Mum blog discusses everything to do with babies and parenting with a focus on child health and child development. Baby Mum-Mum is a healthy, easy to digest baby rice snack that is enjoyed by babies and mothers around the world for its portability, gluten free ingredients and great taste.

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On February 22, the FDA issued letters relating to labelling to 22 food companies, including several baby food manufacturers. We were advised by the FDA that we are not permitted to print the statements "Low in Fat" or "No added fat or oils" on our Baby Mum-Mum packaging.

Although these statements are true and each serving of Baby Mum-Mum does not contain any fat, the FDA has brought to our attention that these claims are technically not allowed on our packaging solely because the product is intended for consumption by infants and children under 4 years of age.

In the future, these claims will be removed from our packaging.

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