Resolution of otitis media with effusion with the use of a stepped treatment regimen of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and prednisone

Recent advances in the treatment of otitis media

“…Despite a greater frequency of resolution of OME following 6 weeks of therapy in patients receiving TMP/SMZ plus prednisone, most patients in both groups relapsed within 5 weeks. Only 5% (1/21) of patients in each group remained in remission (lack of recurrence of OME) at 6 months (62).…”

Steroids for Otitis Media With Effusion

“…The adverse effects of steroid treatment were reported in 5 studies. 13,23,27,31,32 In cases in which the same data are apparently published twice, 27,[33][34][35] these data are used only once in this review.…”

New Concepts for Steroid Use in Otitis Media with Effusion

“…The persistence of a beneficial SE up to four to eight weeks posttreatment was observed in some studies6,8,10,13 but not in others. 5,11,15 Guidelines for Steroid Therapy The evidence for the effect of steroids on OME may be summarized as follows: Basic and clinical research has shown that steroids are a logical and relatively safe method of treating OME. The majority of efficacy trials has found a trend favoring steroids; the trend is statistically significant for many, but not all, of the individual studies.…”