Decongestant-Antihistamine Combination for Otitis Media with Effusion in Children

To the Editor: In their Abstract Cantekin et al. (Feb. 10 issue) 1 concluded, "Decongestant–antihistamine combinations do not appear to be indicated for the treatment of otitis media with effusion in infants and children." Their study seems to be based on the assumptions that these drugs, by themselves, might be expected to reverse the condition and that allergic rhinitis has an unimportant role in its development. The authors make a strong argument for the superiority of their study design as compared with those of the previously reported clinical trials of these medicines. They then claim that the placebo-treated and drug-treated groups . . .