OBJECTIVE: To describe the use of antibiotics in Peruvian children under 1 year in a setting where they are available without a prescription. METHODS: Data were analyzed from a cohort study between September 2006 and December 2007 of 1 023 children < 2 months old in periurban Lima, Peru, followed until they were 1 year old. RESULTS: Seven hundred seventy of 1 023 (75.3%) children took 2 085 courses of antibiotics. There were two courses per child per year (range 0-12). Higher rates of antibiotic use were found in children 3-6 months old (37.2%). Antibiotics were given to children for 8.2% of common colds, 58.6% of all pharyngitis, 66.0% of bronchitis, 40.7% of diarrheas, 22.8% of dermatitis, and 12.0% of bronchial obstructions. A physician's prescription was the most common reason for antibiotic use (90.8%). Medication use without a prescription was found in 6.9% of children, and in 63.9% of them it was preceded by a physician's prescription. CONCLUSIONS: Infants are often exposed to antibiotics in this setting. Overuse of antibiotics is common for diagnoses such as pharyngitis, bronchitis, bronchial obstruction, and diarrhea but is typically inappropriate (83.1% of courses) based on the most common etiologies for this age group. Interventions to improve the use of antibiotics should focus on physicians, since a physician's prescription was the most common reason for antibiotic use.
OBJECTIVE: To describe the use of antibiotics in Peruvian children under 1 year in a setting where they are available without a prescription. METHODS: Data were analyzed from a cohort study between September 2006 and December 2007 of 1 023 children < 2 months old in periurban Lima, Peru, followed until they were 1 year old. RESULTS: Seven hundred seventy of 1 023 (75.3%) children took 2 085 courses of antibiotics. There were two courses per child per year (range 0-12). Higher rates of antibiotic use were found in children 3-6 months old (37.2%). Antibiotics were given to children for 8.2% of common colds, 58.6% of all pharyngitis, 66.0% of bronchitis, 40.7% of diarrheas, 22.8% of dermatitis, and 12.0% of bronchial obstructions. A physician's prescription was the most common reason for antibiotic use (90.8%). Medication use without a prescription was found in 6.9% of children, and in 63.9% of them it was preceded by a physician's prescription. CONCLUSIONS:Infants are often exposed to antibiotics in this setting. Overuse of antibiotics is common for diagnoses such as pharyngitis, bronchitis, bronchial obstruction, and diarrhea but is typically inappropriate (83.1% of courses) based on the most common etiologies for this age group. Interventions to improve the use of antibiotics should focus on physicians, since a physician's prescription was the most common reason for antibiotic use.
Authors: Anicia M Medina; Fulton P Rivera; Maria J Pons; Maribel Riveros; Cláudia Gomes; María Bernal; Rina Meza; Ryan C Maves; Luis Huicho; Elsa Chea-Woo; Claudio F Lanata; Ana I Gil; Theresa J Ochoa; Joaquim Ruiz Journal: Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg Date: 2015-08 Impact factor: 2.184
Authors: Jose L Paredes; Rafaella Navarro; Maribel Riveros; Veronica Picon; Francisco Conde; Mario Suito-Ferrand; Theresa J Ochoa Journal: Clin Med Insights Pediatr Date: 2019-08-21
Authors: Pool Marcos-Carbajal; Marco Galarza-Pérez; Salomón Huancahuire-Vega; Miguel Otiniano-Trujillo; Javier Soto-Pastrana Journal: Biomedica Date: 2020-05-01 Impact factor: 0.935