Patients with recurrent
otitis media without persistent
middle ear effusion were studied for
antibiotic prophylaxis efficacy. In the first phase,
erythromycin ethylsuccinate was used as prophylaxis for
otitis media in 45 patients in a dose of 10 mg/kg twice daily. Acute
otitis media occurred in eight of 45 (18%) while receiving
erythromycin, and in 22 of 41 (54%) following prophylaxis termination. The attack rate (episodes of
otitis media per 2-month period) was 0.86 before prophylaxis, 0.20 during prophylaxis, and 0.79 following prophylaxis. In a second phase of the study,
erythromycin was compared with
sulfisoxazole for
otitis media prophylaxis in a group of 42 children.
Sulfisoxazole (500 mg per dose) was administered twice daily. Acute
otitis media occurred in five of 28 (18%) children while receiving
erythromycin and in nine of 21 (43%) children while receiving no prophylaxis. The attack rate (episodes of
otitis media per 2-month period) was 0.81 before
erythromycin prophylaxis, 0.18 while receiving
erythromycin, and 0.50 after
erythromycin prophylaxis. Acute
otitis media occurred in eight of 14 (51%) children while receiving
sulfisoxazole, and in two of five (40%) children while receiving no prophylaxis. The attack rate (episodes of
otitis media per 2-month period) was 0.78 before
sulfisoxazole, 0.72 while receiving
sulfisoxazole, and 0.56 after
sulfisoxazole prophylaxis.
Erythromycin antimicrobial prophylaxis for children with recurrent
otitis media was superior to no prophylaxis and to
sulfisoxazole prophylaxis in this study of patients with recurrent
otitis media without persistent
middle ear effusion.