Antibiotics for acute otitis media in children

Acute otitis media is one of the most common infectious diseases diagnosed in children. Antibiotic treatment use remains controversial. This summary aims to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of antibiotics in children with acute otitis media. Searching in Epistemonikos database, which is maintained by screening 30 databases, we identified six systematic reviews including 18 randomized trials. We combined the evidence using meta-analysis and generated a summary of findings table following the GRADE approach. We concluded antibiotics reduce pain at 48-72 hours and reduce the risk of tympanic perforations in children with acute otitis media, but they do not reduce late recurrences and increase the risk of side effects (rash, vomiting and diarrhea).