Decongestants and Antihistamines Found Not to Help with Serous Otitis Media

There has been a recent Cochrane review regarding whether serous fluid in the middle ear improves with decongestants and/or anti-histamines which are commonly prescribed by both pediatricians and ENTs for this condition. This review which analyzed the results from 7 studies revealed that these medications had NO impact on the resolution of serous otitis media. In fact, there were significant side effects detected in 1 out of every 9 children prescribed these medications without any significant impact on the fluid.

Reference: Extracts from the Cochrane Library: Antihistamines and/or decongestants for otitis media with effusion (OME) in children. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 136(1):11-13, 2007. Link.