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Ear Tubes for Toddlers Usually Serve No Purpose
Hundreds of thousands of toddlers and preschoolers in the U.S. get ear tubes each year, but a landmark study published in the Jan. 18 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine. shows that a most number may not need them for the purpose of avoiding future developmental problems.
Ear tubes are prescribed for fluid buildup, by itself is usually not painful, but it does affect hearing in the short term. The thinking has been that these early hearing problems could lead to long-term language and developmental impairment.
Early treatment with tubes was not shown to improve developmental outcomes, as measured by a battery of tests conducted throughout the children's lives, up to ages 9 to 11. The tests included checks of reading, spelling, writing, behavioral issues, social skills, and intelligence.
The report does not address the usefulness of tubes for the treatment of kids with repeated, painful ear infections. But it does show that tubes may not be an appropriate option for children who simply have persistent middle-ear fluid.
SOURCES: Paradise, J.L. The New England Journal of Medicine, Jan. 18, 2007; vol 356: pp 248-261. Jack L. Paradise, MD, professor emeritus, University of Pittsburgh. Stephen Berman, MD, pediatrician, Children's Hospital, Denver; professor of pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine.
Posted by Phil Daigle on January 18, 2007 3:48 PM
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