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Simple therapy helps middle ear problem common to kids

Otitis media, known as a middle ear infection, is a common problem that affects children. British researchers tested a simple, cheap treatment to relieve fluid buildup in the middle ear.

The treatment is to have affected children inflate a balloon by blowing air through their nostrils. According to published results, the treatment helped rid the middle ear of fluid and re-establish its proper air pressure.

The treatment is not meant to treat ear infections caused by bacteria, but rather when there is a problem with the eustachian tubes. These tubes connect the ears to the throat, and drain fluid from the ears. The tubes also maintain air pressure balance in the ears.

In young children, the tubes often become blocked. The condition is uncomfortable for children who have their ears blocked and can cause problems if the buildup doesn’t clear. Usually, drains or tubes are surgically placed in children’s ears to relieve the fluid and pressure.

A large proportion — nearly 40 percent — of children who used the technique of had fluid-free ears at three months as compared to children who didn’t use the nasal balloon therapy, the researchers reported in the journal Canadian Medical Association Journal.

The treatment was tested on children, ages four to 11, who had middle ear fluid in one or both ears. There were few side effects or adverse events from the therapy. While the treatment is simple, it may not be easy for all parents and their children. The treatment was supposed to continue for three months, but 20 percent of children stopped using the balloon.

This procedure won’t work with a balloon seen at amusement parks or birthday parties. Instead, the researchers use a pre-stretched balloon with a small nozzle attached.

Blowing into the balloon with one nostril, and the other closed, forces air into the middle ear. Then the middle ear fluid drains away.

The authors said the technique could reduce the needless prescribing of antibiotics for this problem. Studies have shown antibiotics are ineffective against this problem, but doctors often prescribe them anyway.

Lead author Dr. Ian Williamson said wider use of the technique may reduce the need for surgeries to insert drainage tubes in the ears of affected children, according to the Vancouver Sun.

“It works early on and some children are benefitting,” said Williamson, a family physician and associate professor of primary care at the University of Southampton in Britain.

“Surgery is great. But here’s a medical intervention that also works.” Sometimes the fluid problem will resolve itself without any intervention.

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