Antibiotics: Longer treatment times that benefit children may cost society

The likelihood that the treatment of a middle ear infection will fail is slightly higher for a child who is given a shorter course of antibiotics, according to a new Cochrane Systematic Review. The results are conclusive, but the researchers say there are other factors that must be considered when the drugs are prescribed.

Most children suffer at some point from a middle ear infection, also called acute otitis media (AOM). It is one of the most common reasons for children being prescribed antibiotics, at a cost of up to $5 billion each year in the US alone. Health practitioners vary in the length of course that they prescribe to treat the infection. The standard course in Britain is five days, whereas in North America it is ten. Due to concern about drug resistance caused by overuse, and the increasing cost of providing these drugs, the researchers decided to update a previous Cochrane Review carried out in 2000. Read more...