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Topical intranasal corticosteroids in 4-11 year old children with persistent bilateral otitis media with effusion in primary care: double blind randomised placebo controlled trial

Topical intranasal corticosteroids in 4-11 year old children with persistent bilateral otitis media with effusion in primary care: double blind randomised placebo controlled trial
Topical intranasal corticosteroids in 4-11 year old children with persistent bilateral otitis media with effusion in primary care: double blind randomised placebo controlled trial
Objective: to determine the clinical effectiveness of topical intranasal corticosteroids in children with bilateral otitis media with effusion.

Design: double blind randomised placebo controlled trial.

Setting: 76 Medical Research Council General Practice Research Framework practices throughout the United Kingdom, between 2004 and 2007.

Participants: 217 children aged 4-11 years who had at least one practice recorded episode of otitis media or a related ear problem in the previous 12 months, and with bilateral otitis media with effusion confirmed by a research nurse using otoscopy plus micro-tympanometry (B/B or B/C2, modified Jerger types).

Intervention: mometasone furoate 50 µg or placebo spray given once daily into each nostril for three months.

Main outcome measures: proportions of children cured of bilateral otitis media with effusion assessed with tympanometry (C1 or A type) at one month (primary end point), three months, and nine months; adverse events; three month diary symptoms.

Results: 41% (39/96) of the topical steroid group and 45% (44/98) of the placebo group were cured in one or both ears at one month (difference favouring placebo 4.3% (95% confidence interval –9.3% to 18.1%). Poisson regression was done with adjustment for four pre-specified covariates (clinical severity, P=0.003; atopy, P=0.67; age, P=0.92; season, P=0.71). The adjusted relative risk at one month was 0.97 (95% confidence interval 0.74 to 1.26). At three months, 58% of the topical steroid group and 52% of the placebo group were cured (relative risk 1.23, 0.84 to 1.80). Diary symptoms did not differ between the two groups, and no significant harms were reported.

Conclusions: topical steroids are unlikely to be an effective treatment for otitis media with effusion in general practice. High rates of natural resolution occurred by 1-3 months.
0959-8138
1-8
Williamson, Ian
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Benge, Sarah
f35eb6c2-f335-40a9-baf8-19636fc29c3c
Barton, Sheila
4f674382-ca0b-44ad-9670-e71a0b134ef0
Petrou, Stavros
5ee930f5-99db-4fb8-b401-95584cff0e20
Letley, Louise
8871d4b7-c0ad-43ed-a77e-7a05bcd1266c
Fasey, Nicky
1ca6097e-76ee-4004-ba6c-c90e23276c6e
Haggard, Mark
51c26644-d6f9-4da3-951a-0e5c842644d6
Little, Paul
1bf2d1f7-200c-47a5-ab16-fe5a8756a777
Williamson, Ian
12381296-edbf-4ac5-969b-dcb559c22f27
Benge, Sarah
f35eb6c2-f335-40a9-baf8-19636fc29c3c
Barton, Sheila
4f674382-ca0b-44ad-9670-e71a0b134ef0
Petrou, Stavros
5ee930f5-99db-4fb8-b401-95584cff0e20
Letley, Louise
8871d4b7-c0ad-43ed-a77e-7a05bcd1266c
Fasey, Nicky
1ca6097e-76ee-4004-ba6c-c90e23276c6e
Haggard, Mark
51c26644-d6f9-4da3-951a-0e5c842644d6
Little, Paul
1bf2d1f7-200c-47a5-ab16-fe5a8756a777

Williamson, Ian, Benge, Sarah, Barton, Sheila, Petrou, Stavros, Letley, Louise, Fasey, Nicky, Haggard, Mark and Little, Paul (2009) Topical intranasal corticosteroids in 4-11 year old children with persistent bilateral otitis media with effusion in primary care: double blind randomised placebo controlled trial. BMJ, 339 (b4984), 1-8. (doi:10.1136/bmj.b4984).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Objective: to determine the clinical effectiveness of topical intranasal corticosteroids in children with bilateral otitis media with effusion.

Design: double blind randomised placebo controlled trial.

Setting: 76 Medical Research Council General Practice Research Framework practices throughout the United Kingdom, between 2004 and 2007.

Participants: 217 children aged 4-11 years who had at least one practice recorded episode of otitis media or a related ear problem in the previous 12 months, and with bilateral otitis media with effusion confirmed by a research nurse using otoscopy plus micro-tympanometry (B/B or B/C2, modified Jerger types).

Intervention: mometasone furoate 50 µg or placebo spray given once daily into each nostril for three months.

Main outcome measures: proportions of children cured of bilateral otitis media with effusion assessed with tympanometry (C1 or A type) at one month (primary end point), three months, and nine months; adverse events; three month diary symptoms.

Results: 41% (39/96) of the topical steroid group and 45% (44/98) of the placebo group were cured in one or both ears at one month (difference favouring placebo 4.3% (95% confidence interval –9.3% to 18.1%). Poisson regression was done with adjustment for four pre-specified covariates (clinical severity, P=0.003; atopy, P=0.67; age, P=0.92; season, P=0.71). The adjusted relative risk at one month was 0.97 (95% confidence interval 0.74 to 1.26). At three months, 58% of the topical steroid group and 52% of the placebo group were cured (relative risk 1.23, 0.84 to 1.80). Diary symptoms did not differ between the two groups, and no significant harms were reported.

Conclusions: topical steroids are unlikely to be an effective treatment for otitis media with effusion in general practice. High rates of natural resolution occurred by 1-3 months.

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More information

Published date: 16 December 2009
Organisations: Community Clinical Sciences

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 73273
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/73273
ISSN: 0959-8138
PURE UUID: 9be019eb-482d-4a5f-8dc5-5a409aeaee2a
ORCID for Sheila Barton: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-4963-4242
ORCID for Paul Little: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-3664-1873

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Date deposited: 04 Mar 2010
Last modified: 11 Jul 2024 01:40

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Contributors

Author: Ian Williamson
Author: Sarah Benge
Author: Sheila Barton ORCID iD
Author: Stavros Petrou
Author: Louise Letley
Author: Nicky Fasey
Author: Mark Haggard
Author: Paul Little ORCID iD

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