This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages without signing in

Otitis media

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Otitis media

  • is an inflammation of the middle ear, sometimes associated with upper respiratory tract infection.
  • it can be classified as follows:
    • acute suppurative
    • chronic suppurative
    • serous / secretory

  • acute suppurative otitis media
    • may be caused by viral or bacterial infections, or bacterial infection complicating a viral illness,
    • it causes ear pain and tenderness

  • chronic suppurative otitis media conditions are not usually painful

    • manifests as persistent drainage from the ear associated with tympanic membrane perforation and some degree of conductive hearing loss. Chronic ear
  • serous or secretory otitis media
    • refers to non-suppurative fluid accumulation in the middle ear
    • this condition is frequently associated with dysfunction or obstruction of the eustachian tube, such as may result from tonsillar hyperplasia or recurrent infection
    • this condition is an important cause of hearing problems in children.
    • in adults, a unilateral serous effusion may be due to a nasopharyngeal tumour which should be excluded

A review concluded that (1):

  • suspect acute otitis media in children with ear pain (ear symptoms can be subtle especially in young pre-verbal children), with or without fever


  • the presence of middle ear effusion on otoscopy is a prerequisite for diagnosis of acute otitis media

  • antibiotic treatment
    • offer oral antibiotics to children with acute otitis media who are systemically unwell and to those at high risk of complications because of pre-existing comorbidity
    • oral antibiotics can be considered in children under 2 with bilateral acute otitis media and in children of any age with acute otitis media and acute ear discharge a spontaneous rupture of the eardrum

Reference:

  • Venekamp RA et al. Acute otitis media in children.BMJ 2020;371:m4238 http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m4238

Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.