Abstract

A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY ON PREVALENCE OF RESPIRATORY TRACT INFECTIONS AND ANTIBIOTIC APPROPRIATENESS IN PAEDIATRIC POPULATION

Sonia Alex*, Soubhagya Surendran, Treesa Antony, Mincy Mathew, Archana Vijai and Santhosh M. Mathews

ABSTRACT

Background: Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) affect children all over the world and are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. RTIs are usually triggered by viruses, though bacterial infections are also common. RTIs may be further classified into those that affect the upper or lower respiratory tracts. The majority of RTIs affect the upper respiratory tract, presenting as common cold, tonsillitis, Pharyngitis, laryngitis, rhino-sinusitis, and Otitis media. infections of the lower respiratory tract are tracheitis, Bronchiolitis/bronchitis, and pneumonia. Antibiotics are frequently prescribed for pediatric RTIs. The main aim of this study is to find the prevalence of RTIs and to evaluate the appropriateness of antibiotics prescribed. Methodology: A retrospective study was conducted in the pediatric department of a tertiary care setting. The study was carried out for a period of 6 months in which data from January 2019-December 2019 was collected. Patients who satisfied both exclusion and inclusion criteria were taken for the study. Results: The study included 162 pediatric patients in which 64 with URTIs and 98 with LRTIs. children (2-12 years) more commonly suffered from RTI, Males (60.4%) had more RTI than females. Prevalence of LRTI was predominant. Tonsillitis (14.1%) was more common URTI and Pneumonia (35.8%) was more common LRTI. Fever and cough (27%) were the most common symptoms. The most commonly used antibiotic was Amoxicillin + Clavulanic acid and the most common antibiotic class prescribed was Penicillin (50%). 90 patients were identified with inappropriate antibiotic therapy. Conclusion: RTIs are the most common infections among pediatric population and it affects part of the body involved in breathing and antibiotics are the most common drug of choice. Since reckless use of antibiotics lead to development of resistance, our study is an attempt to evaluate the prevalence of RTI and antibiotic appropriateness among paediatric population. Among RTIs, LRTIs shows a major predominance over URTIs. Judicious use of antibiotics is necessary. Otherwise, the children developing resistance would be difficult to be treated in later life as the normal doses will be ineffective in them resulting in poor prognosis.

Keywords: RTI, LRTI, URTI, Antibiotics, Appropriateness, ARI, Antimicrobial therapy.