The use of oral steroid tablets to help with the treatment of otitis externa (an inflammatory/infective swelling of the ear canal, also known as a 'swimmer's ear')

Otitis externa is a common ear condition. Also known as a ‘swimmer’s ear’, it often causes painful swelling of the external ear canal and may lead to sensation of blockage as well as hearing loss. It is primarily an inflammatory disease with infective component which can be bacterial or fungal in nature. Risk factors include compulsive scratching of the ear, swimming, hearing aid use and use of cotton buds. Otitis externa is typically treated with antibiotic/steroid ear drops but it is common for patients to experience symptoms of otitis externa such as pain for many days. Given that otitis externa is primarily inflammatory in nature, we propose that if patients are given a 3 day course of oral steroid tablets (anti-inflammtory drugs commonly used in many medical conditions) in addition to ear drops, it may speed up the recovery and reduce the total number of days during which patients would experience symptoms especially pain. This study would be a double-blinded and randomised-control trial in nature, meaning that both treating doctors and participating patients will not know which treatment has been given (i.e. treatment drug vs. placebo), thereby increasing the validity of the trial outcome.