New Concepts in the Pathophysiology and Management of Middle Ear Disease in Childhood

Middle ear disease encompasses acute otitis media, recurrent otitis media, and otitis media with effusion. For many children, middle ear disease occurs early in life, is chronic and recurrent and can impair language development and/or school performance. Risk factors for recurrent otitis media include early disease onset, bottle feeding, daycare attendance, exposure to cigarette smoke and immunological defects or immaturity. Antimicrobial therapy in acute otitis media is associated with earlier resolution and a reduction in the frequency of persistent disease and suppurative complications. An antimicrobial agent should be selected according to its activity, tolerability and concentrations achieved in the middle ear. At present, amoxicillin remains the drug of choice for acute otitis media. Antimicrobial prophylaxis is also effective, but only for the duration of therapy. Future challenges for the management of middle ear disease include the treatment of penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae, effective prevention of relapses, and the development of a vaccine for S. pneumoniae that has the appropriate serotypes and is immunogenic in young children.