Cochrane · systematic review · CD015255
Topical and oral steroids for otitis media with effusion (OME) in children
Mulvaney, CA, Galbraith, K, Webster, KE, et al. · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2023 · Cochrane Library
ENTAMSTAR 2: not assessed
SoF tableOnly the outcomes this review put in its Summary of Findings table are listed (the Cochrane Handbook caps them at about seven per comparison). Its other analyses are not shown here.
Questions
16
current version
GRADE rated
12
No studies
4
Included studies
NR
No studies 4 · 25%Ungraded 0 · 0%Very low 6 · 37.5%Low 4 · 25%Moderate 2 · 12.5%High 0 · 0%
Ungraded means an effect was reported without a GRADE rating; it is not a gap. No studies means the review found nothing to answer the question. The six categories are a display order, not a score.
Questions and results
Oral steroids compared to placebo for otitis media with effusion (OME) in children
Population: children aged 6 months to 12 years with otitis media with effusion (OME)
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Hearing ‐ return to normal hearing Oral steroids vs placebo | RR 1.14 [0.97, 1.33] | NR | Moderate Downgraded: imprecision |
Disease‐specific quality of life (total OM8‐30, lower score is more favourable) Oral steroids vs placebo | no estimate extracted | NR | Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
Presence/persistence of OME Oral steroids vs placebo | no estimate extracted | NR | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
Adverse event: systemic corticosteroid side effects Oral steroids vs placebo | no estimate extracted | NR | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
Oral steroids compared to no treatment for otitis media with effusion (OME) in children
Population: children aged 6 months to 12 years with otitis media with effusion (OME)
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Hearing Oral steroids vs no treatment | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Disease‐specific quality of life Oral steroids vs no treatment | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Presence/persistence of OME (3 to 9 months ‐ medium‐term) № of participants: 258 (2 RCTs) Oral steroids vs no treatment | RR 1.02 [0.89, 1.17] | NR | Low Downgraded: risk of bias |
Adverse event: systemic corticosteroid side effects Oral steroids vs no treatment | no estimate extracted | NR | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
Topical (intranasal) steroids compared to placebo for otitis media with effusion (OME) in children
Population: children aged 6 months to 12 years with otitis media with effusion (OME)
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Hearing ‐ hearing threshold; assumed ICC = 0.5 Topical (intranasal) steroids vs placebo | no estimate extracted | NR | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias |
Disease‐specific quality of life (total OM8‐30 score, lower score is more favourable) Topical (intranasal) steroids vs placebo | no estimate extracted | NR | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
Presence/persistence of OME Topical (intranasal) steroids vs placebo | no estimate extracted | NR | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
Adverse event: systemic corticosteroid side effects Topical (intranasal) steroids vs placebo | no estimate extracted | NR | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
Topical (intranasal) steroids compared to no treatment for otitis media with effusion (OME) in children
Population: children aged 6 months to 12 years with otitis media with effusion (OME)
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Hearing ‐ hearing threshold (air‐bone gap, very short‐term); assumed ICC = 0.5 Topical (intranasal) steroids vs no treatment | no estimate extracted | NR | Low Downgraded: risk of bias |
Disease‐specific quality of life Topical (intranasal) steroids vs no treatment | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Presence/persistence of OME (short‐term); assumed ICC = 0.5 Topical (intranasal) steroids vs no treatment | RR 0.72 [0.57, 0.91] | NR | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
Adverse event: systemic corticosteroid side effects Topical (intranasal) steroids vs no treatment | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |