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Consultations for middle ear disease, antibiotic prescribing and risk factors for reattendance: a case-linked cohort
Ian Williamson1, Sarah Benge, Mark Mullee
1Department of Primary Medical Care, Community Clinical Science Division, School of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton. I.G.Williamson@soton.ac.uk
Insights
Antibiotic prescribing for acute otitis media (AOM) in children increased reattendance risk, while for glue ear, it decreased it. Further research is needed to understand these effects and potential benefits versus harms.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Otolaryngology
- General Practice Research
- Antibiotic Stewardship
Background:
- Otitis media is a leading cause of pediatric antibiotic prescriptions.
- Evidence regarding the impact of antibiotic prescribing on reattendance for middle ear infections is lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess trends in middle ear disease consultations in UK general practice.
- To determine the effect of antibiotic prescribing at first attendance on reattendance for acute otitis media (AOM) and glue ear.
Main Methods:
- A case-linked cohort analysis was conducted using data from the General Practice Research Database (GPRD) in the UK.
- Data included 2,265,574 patients across 291 practices from 1991-2001, focusing on AOM and glue ear events.
- Cox proportional hazards regression analyzed the risk of reattendance associated with antibiotic prescription.
Main Results:
- Consultations for AOM significantly decreased, while glue ear consultations slightly increased.
- Antibiotic prescribing rates for AOM remained high (80-84%), but rose sharply for glue ear (13% to 62%).
- Antibiotic prescription increased reattendance for AOM (HR=1.09) but decreased it for glue ear (HR=0.92).
Conclusions:
- Antibiotic prescribing for AOM likely increases reattendance, whereas for glue ear, it may reduce it, suggesting a potential treatment effect.
- Further research is required to clarify the clinical benefits and harms of antibiotics in specific pediatric subgroups for glue ear.
Background:
Otitis media is the most common reason for children to receive antibiotics, but there is no evidence about the effect of prescribing on reattendance.
Aim:
To evaluate the changing workload of middle ear disease in general practice, and the impact on surgery reattendance of prescribing antibiotics at first attendance.
Design Of Study:
A case-linked cohort analysis for antibiotic prescribing versus no prescribing at first consultation event.
Setting:
Two hundred and ninety-one practices spread throughout the UK recording for the General Practice Research Database (GPRD) and incorporating individual patient data records for 2,265,574 patients.
Method:
All middle ear disease coded events that can be classed within acute otitis media (AOM) or glue ear sub-categories (and excluding chronic suppurative otitis media) were selected for analysis when the first event was from 1991-2001. The effect of antibiotic prescription on the risk of reattendance using Cox proportional hazards regression was analysed.
Results:
Total consultations for AOM have fallen markedly over this decade, and glue ear consultations have risen but by a much smaller extent (26,000 decrease versus 4000 increase in consultations per year), which makes relabelling an unlikely explanation of the fall in AOM consultations. In the 2-10 years age range, consultations for AOM fell from 105.3 to 34.7 per 1000 per year, with glue ear consultations unaltered (15.2 to 16.7 per 1000 per year). Antibiotic prescribing for AOM has stayed remarkably constant (80-84% of consultations), but antibiotic prescribing for glue ear has risen sharply (13 to 62%). Prescribing antibiotics increased the risk of reattendance for AOM (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.09, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.07 to 1.10) and has reduced the risk of reattendance for glue ear (HR = 0.92, 95% CI = 0.88 to 0.96).
Conclusion:
Prescribing antibiotics for AOM probably increased reattendance, but the opposite effect has been noted for glue ear, which suggests a treatment effect of antibiotics in glue ear. Further research is needed to clarify whether this possible benefit is worth the known harms, and if so in which subgroups of children.
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Etiology
It often arises from persistent viral or bacterial infections affecting sinuses and tonsils.
Additional contributing factors include inadequate dental hygiene, mouth breathing, recurring tonsillitis, allergic rhinitis, laryngopharyngeal reflux, and exposure to smoke, chemicals, and other environmental pollutants. Allergic reactions to pollen, mold, and pet dander, chronic cough, excessive voice usage,...