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Changes in the Prescription of Antibiotics and Phytopharmaceuticals in Children Treated for Acute Upper and Lower Respiratory Tract Infections in Pediatric Practices in Germany in 2013, 2018, and 2022
Background: Little is known about the recent trends in antibiotic and phytopharmaceutical prescribing for acute upper (URIs) and lower respiratory tract infections (LRIs) in children and adolescents. Therefore, this study investigated changes in the prescription of antibiotics and phytopharmaceut...
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Philipps-Universität Marburg
2023
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | PDF Full Text |
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| Summary: | Background: Little is known about the recent trends in antibiotic and phytopharmaceutical
prescribing for acute upper (URIs) and lower respiratory tract infections (LRIs) in children
and adolescents. Therefore, this study investigated changes in the prescription of antibiotics and
phytopharmaceuticals in children diagnosed with acute URIs and LRIs in pediatric practices in
Germany in 2013, 2018, and 2022. Methods: The present retrospective study included children aged
2–12 years diagnosed with acute URIs or LRIs in one of 180 pediatric practices in 2013, 2018, and
2022. The URIs included nasopharyngitis, sinusitis, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, laryngitis and tracheitis,
and upper respiratory infections of multiple and unspecified sites, while the LRIs corresponded to
bronchitis. The primary outcomes were the proportion of children being prescribed antibiotics and
the proportion of those being prescribed phytopharmaceuticals. Results: A total of 120,894 children
were diagnosed with acute URIs or LRIs in 2013 compared to 116,844 in 2018 and 127,821 in 2022. The
prevalence of antibiotic prescription decreased for all diagnoses between 2013 and 2022. This decrease
was statistically significant for both 2013–2018 and 2018–2022 for nasopharyngitis, pharyngitis, and
bronchitis. Meanwhile, there was a significant increase in the use of phytopharmaceuticals for all
diagnoses between 2013 and 2018. The prevalence of phytopharmaceutical prescription decreased
slightly between 2018 and 2022, but this decrease was generally not statistically significant. Conclusions:
The prescription of antibiotics has decreased and that of phytopharmaceuticals has increased in
children diagnosed with acute URIs and LRIs in Germany over the last decade. More data are needed
to corroborate these findings in other settings. |
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| Item Description: | Gefördert durch den Open-Access-Publikationsfonds der UB Marburg. |
| DOI: | 10.3390/antibiotics12101491 |