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Study investigates outcomes of antibiotic administration in pediatric respiratory illness

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Created On: 08/05/2024

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Children treated for fever or respiratory symptoms at out-of-hours services exhibit similar outcomes regardless of antibiotic use, though adverse events often lead to premature treatment cessation, with gastrointestinal discomfort prevalent.

In an observational study published in "Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care", children presenting with fever or respiratory symptoms exhibited comparable symptom duration and absenteeism regardless of antibiotic therapy. A noteworthy proportion of parents reported adverse events linked with antibiotic administration, with some encountering additional obstacles leading to premature cessation of therapy, often within the initial four days.

Investigators sought to determine the outcomes of antibiotic therapy for respiratory infections in pediatrics. The study was carried out across four out-of-hours services and one pediatric emergency clinic in 266 children (aged 0 to 6 years) presenting with fever or respiratory symptoms. The study focused on scrutinizing the duration of symptoms, duration of absence from kindergarten or school, treatment duration, and reported adverse events.

Analysis revealed no pivotal disparities in symptom duration, fever duration, or absenteeism between the groups prescribed (30.8%) and not prescribed (69.2%) antibiotics. This finding remained consistent even when examining the subgroup having otitis media. Among children prescribed antibiotics, about 84.5% of parents reported administering them for 5-7 days, with 50.7% reporting no difficulties. Adverse events linked with antibiotics were noted in 42.3% of cases, predominantly gastrointestinal discomfort.