ArticleOpen forum infectious diseases2019
Diagnosis and Antibiotic Management of Otitis Media and Otitis Externa in United States Veterans.
Article in Open forum infectious diseases, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 9 citations in OpenAlex.
- Steroids for the Prevention of Sensorineural Hearing Loss Secondary to Acute Otitis Media: A Systematic Review.International archives of otorhinolaryngology · 2026Review
- Predictors of antibiotic prescription for upper respiratory infections in cancer patients.Antimicrobial stewardship & healthcare epidemiology : ASHE · 2025Article
- A Comparative Study on Management of Acute Otitis Externa with and Without Oral Antibiotics in a Tertiary Care Centre, Maduranthagam.Indian journal of otolaryngology and head and neck surgery : official publication of the Association of Otolaryngologists of India · 2024Article
- Look-Back and Look-Forward Durations and the Apparent Appropriateness of Ambulatory Antibiotic Prescribing.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Incidence of acute otitis media in children in the United States before and after the introduction of 7- and 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines during 1998-2018.BMC infectious diseases · 2022Article
- Patients Requiring Gastrostomy Tube Insertion After Total Laryngectomy Have a Higher Incidence of Otitis Media.Journal of audiology & otology · 2022Article
- Comparative effectiveness of amoxicillin versus amoxicillin-clavulanate among adults with acute sinusitis in emergency department and urgent care settings.Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians open · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAcute otitis media (AOM) and otitis media with effusion (OME) occur primarily in children, whereas acute otitis externa (AOE) occurs with similar frequency in children and adults. Data on the incidence and management of otitis in adults are limited. This study characterizes the incidence, antibiotic management, and outcomes for adults with otitis diagnoses.
methodsA retrospective cohort of ambulatory adult veterans who presented with acute respiratory tract infection (ARI) diagnoses at 6 VA Medical Centers during 2014-2018 was created. Then, a subcohort of patients with acute otitis diagnoses was developed. Patient visits were categorized with administrative diagnostic codes for ARI (eg, sinusitis, pharyngitis) and otitis (OME, AOM, and AOE). Incidence rates for each diagnosis were calculated. Proportions of otitis visits with antibiotic prescribing, complications, and specialty referral were summarized.
resultsOf 46 634 ARI visits, 3898 (8%) included an otitis diagnosis: OME (22%), AOM (44%), AOE (31%), and multiple otitis diagnoses (3%). Incidence rates were otitis media 4.0 (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.9-4.2) and AOE 2.0 (95% CI, 1.9-2.1) diagnoses per 1000 patient-years. By comparison, the incidence rates for pharyngitis (8.4; 95% CI, 8.2-8.6) and sinusitis (15.2; 95% CI, 14.9-15.5) were higher. Systemic antibiotics were prescribed in 75%, 63%, and 21% of AOM, OME, and AOE visits, respectively. Complications for otitis visits were low irrespective of antibiotic treatment.
conclusionsAdministrative data indicated that otitis media diagnoses in adults were half as common as acute pharyngitis, and the majority received antibiotic treatment, which may be inappropriate. Prospective studies verifying diagnostic accuracy and antibiotic appropriateness are warranted.
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