Glue ears can be treated with topical steroid use

In order to inhibit unnecessary secondary referral and expensive surgery, many non-surgical treatment options are being used these days for otitis media with effusion (OME).

The cost efficacy of topical intranasal steroids for treating otitis media with effusion (OME) in primary care was recently evaluated by a recent study from the perspective of the UK National Health Service.

From MedicalNewsToday.com:

Epidemiological studies of OME reveal that it affects 50-80% of children by the age of five. Without effective intervention, severe OME can cause significant hearing loss, which may result in linguistic, developmental, behavioural, motor and social impairment. Although many OME cases resolve spontaneously, referral rates from primary care remain high, with approximately 1-5 per 1000 children in the general population undergoing surgery (grommets) each year.
The study was led by Dr. Stavros Petrou from the University of Oxford.
Says Dr. Petrou: "This study demonstrates that the current use of topical steroids for OME is unlikely to represent an efficient use of scare public resources."
This will be discussed in detail in Value in Health, the official journal of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and outcomes Research.
Value in Health (ISSN 1098-3015) publishes papers, concepts, and ideas that advance the field of pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research and help health care leaders to make decisions that are solidly evidence-based. The journal is published bi-monthly and has a regular readership of over 5,000 clinicians, decision-makers, and researchers worldwide.

The study was led by Dr. Stavros Petrou from the University of Oxford and demonstrated that topical steroids cannot be considered as a cost-effective treatment option for OME in general practice.