ArticleThe British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners2010
Ear discharge in children presenting with acute otitis media: observational study from UK general practice.
Article in The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 36 citations in OpenAlex.
- Defining the Terminology for Acute Ear Discharge in Children: Systematic Review and Expert Consensus Using the Nominal Group Technique.Clinical otolaryngology : official journal of ENT-UK ; official journal of Netherlands Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology & Cervico-Facial Surgery · 2025Pooled it
- Antibiotics for acute otitis media in children.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2023Pooled it
- Predicting poor outcomes in children aged 1-12 with respiratory tract infections: A systematic review.PloS one · 2021Pooled it
- Duration of symptoms of respiratory tract infections in children: systematic review.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2013Pooled it
- The impact of topical or oral antibiotics in children with acute otitis media on their middle ear, nasopharyngeal, and gut microbiomes.Epidemiology and infection · 2026Trial
- Topical or oral antibiotics in childhood acute otitis media and ear discharge: a randomized controlled non-inferiority trial.Family practice · 2024Trial
- Bacterial Acute Otitis Media Complicated with Otorrhea in a Children's Hospital in the Era of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccines.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Treating paediatric otorrhoea - response.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2025Article
- Incidence, antimicrobial prescribing practice, and associated healthcare costs of paediatric otorrhoea in primary care in the UK: a longitudinal population study.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2025Article
- Exploring the burden of paediatric acute otitis media with discharge in the UK: a qualitative study.BMJ paediatrics open · 2024Article
- Article
- Challenges to implementing electronic trial data collection in primary care: a qualitative study.BMC family practice · 2021Article
- A Strong Decline in the Incidence of Childhood Otitis Media During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Netherlands.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2021Observational
- Article
- Incidence and clinical presentation of acute otitis media in children aged <6 years in European medical practices.Epidemiology and infection · 2014Observational
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundNational Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance to treat otitis media in older children immediately with antibiotics only if they have ear discharge is based on limited evidence.
aimTo determine the clinical significance and outcome of ear discharge in children with acute otitis media, in routine clinical practice. DESIGN OF STUDY: Observational cohort study of children with acute otitis media comparing those with and without ear discharge at presentation.
settingPrimary care in East Somerset.
methodTwo hundred and fifty-six children aged 6 months to 10 years were recruited from primary care. Clinical features and other characteristics were recorded at presentation. Follow-up was undertaken at 2 weeks and 3 months.
resultsChildren with otitis media who present with ear discharge are much more likely to be treated with antibiotics irrespective of age (adjusted odds ratio 15, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 3 to 66). Most with discharge have proven bacterial infection (58%, 95% CI = 42 to 72%). They have a more severe systemic illness, with higher axillary temperature (80% increase in odds of ear discharge for each additional degree centigrade, P = 0.02), pulse rate (9% increase in odds for each extra beat, P<0.001), and Yale score (mean 10.5 versus 9.0, P = 0.003). They may also have an increased likelihood of adverse outcome (adjusted odds ratio of pain at 1 week 2.9; further episodes of acute otitis media 3.3; hearing difficulty at 3 months 4.7; all P<0.10).
conclusionEar discharge defines a group of children with otitis media who are sicker and may be at higher risk of adverse outcome. NICE guidance to treat them with antibiotics is supported.
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