Source: DGNews  |  Posted 9 years ago

Guidelines Urge Paediatricians and Parents to Treat Resistant Bacteria Strongly and Thoroughly

PITTSBURGH, PA -- August 20, 2002 -- Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh announced today that consensus recommendations for the treatment of acute otitis media (AOM) are published in the current issue of Clinical Pediatrics.

The guidelines underscore the need for accurate diagnosis of AOM, or middle ear infections, and provide strict criteria that identify patients at risk for resistant bacteria. They also emphasize the need to initiate antibiotics with superior efficacy against resistant bacteria strains for patients who have risk factors for persistent and difficult-to-treat AOM.

AOM is the most common bacterial respiratory tract infection in the paediatric population. Three out of four children experience at least one middle ear infection before they are three years old, and of these children almost half experience three or more episodes.

With a great deal of variability as to the diagnosis and optimal management of AOM, the guidelines recommend that physicians and parents know the factors that put children at high risk for developing AOM with resistant bacteria. These include:

* Patients under two years old

* Children who attend day care

* Children who have been exposed to antibiotics within the past one to three months

* Winter and spring seasons

The guidelines recommend amoxicillin, especially at higher doses, as first-line treatment for AOM. However, if a patient has a risk factor or has AOM symptoms for more than three days, the guidelines call for treatment with Augmentin ES-600