Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Oct;19(4):298-301.
doi: 10.1055/s-0035-1548535. Epub 2015 Mar 18.

The Efficacy of Nasal Steroids in Treatment of Otitis Media with Effusion: A Comparative Study

Mohammad Waheed El-Anwar  1 , Ahmad Abdel-Fattah Nofal  1 , Alaa Omar Khazbak  1 , Ahmad Ebrahim El Sayed  1 , Mohammad Ramadan Hassan  1
Affiliations

The Efficacy of Nasal Steroids in Treatment of Otitis Media with Effusion: A Comparative Study

Mohammad Waheed El-Anwar et al. Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2015 Oct.

Abstract

Introduction Otitis media with effusion (OME) continues to be an important pediatric clinical problem, and more studies are needed to decide the proper treatment for it. Objective To assess the efficacy of nasal steroids in the management of OME by comparing its results with that of oral steroid and that of nasal saline spray as placebo. Methods This study was carried on 60 patients with OME who were divided into three groups: in group 1, 20 patients received mometasone furoate spray, one puff in each nostril daily, for 3 months; in group 2, 20 patients received oral prednisolone, 5 mg three times per day for the first 3 weeks; in group 3, 20 patients received nasal saline spray, one puff in each nostril daily for 3 months. Results A highly significant difference between systemic or topical (nasal spray) steroid therapy and saline nasal spray was detected (p < 0.001), and the difference between systemic and topical steroid was nonsignificant (p > 0.05). Conclusion Nasal steroid spray can be used as an effective treatment for OME, giving a significant result similar to systemic steroid. Further studies are needed to investigate its use for longer duration and in recurrent cases.

Keywords: nasal steroids; otitis media with effusion; tympanometry.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Yousaf M, Inayatullah Khan F. Medical versus surgical management of otitis media with effusion in children. J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad. 2012;24(1):83–85. - PubMed
References
    1. Bernstein J M, Lee J, Conboy K, Ellis E, Li P. Further observations on the role of IgE-mediated hypersensitivity in recurrent otitis media with effusion. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1985;93(5):611–615. - PubMed
    1. Tomonaga K, Kurono Y, Chaen T, Mogi G. Adenoids and otitis media with effusion: nasopharyngeal flora. Am J Otolaryngol. 1989;10(3):204–207. - PubMed
    1. Kuo C L, Wang M C, Chu C H, Shiao A S. New therapeutic strategy for treating otitis media with effusion in postirradiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients. J Chin Med Assoc. 2012;75(7):329–334. - PubMed
    1. Ho W K, Wei W I, Yuen A P, Hui Y, Wong S H. Otorrhea after grommet insertion for middle ear effusion in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Am J Otolaryngol. 1999;20(1):12–15. - PubMed
    1. Tang N L, Choy A T, John D G, van Hasselt C A. The otological status of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma after megavoltage radiotherapy. J Laryngol Otol. 1992;106(12):1055–1058. - PubMed