Drug for cold may prolong ear infection

Although drugs, called antihistamines, are a useful treatment for cold symptoms, they can make ear infections worse. Recent findings indicate that antihistamines and steroids, which help reduce inflammation, are not effective treatments for a common ear infection in kids called acute otitis media (AOM). In fact, antihistamines seem to slow the drainage of the fluid that accumulates behind the eardrum.In contrast to steroids, which are an experimental treatment for AOM, antihistamines are used by up to 19% of clinicians. Researchers from the University of Texas at Galveston, studied 179 children with AOM who were treated with one dose of antibiotics and then received either an antihistamine, a steroid, both drugs, or inactive placebo for 5 days.It was found that the type of treatment received had no bearing on the kids' overall outcome. However, children treated with the antihistamine took much longer than other children to completely drain their ear fluid.Hence, antihistamines should not be used for AOM. In contrast, researchers suggested that steroids may be beneficial if given for longer than 5 days. For this reason, further studies are needed that involve treatment periods of 7 to 10 days.