Home use of a bulb syringe may help relieve earwax occlusion more effectively than a clinical procedure, according to an Annals of Family Medicine study.

Researchers randomized some 240 adults in the U.K. either to ear drops and home use of a bulb syringe or to ear drops and irrigation by a clinic nurse. Patients were reassessed after 2 weeks, and those with persistent occlusions had their ears irrigated at the clinic.

At 2 years’ follow-up, patients initially managed clinically returned to the clinic for earwax concerns more often than the home-treatment group (73% vs. 60%).

The authors conclude: “Rather than routine attendance with a clinician, self-treatment with drops and then self-irrigation may offer a significantly less costly alternative.”

Source:Annals of Family Medicine