Treatment of Community-Acquired Pneumonia: Are All Countries Treating Children in the Same Way? A Literature Review

Abstract

Background Pneumonia represents an important threat to children's health in both developed and developing countries. In the last 10 years, many national and international guidelines on the treatment of pediatric CAP have been published, in order to optimize the prescription of antibiotics and limit their cost and side effects. However, the practical implementation of these guidelines is still limited. Main Text We analyzed the current recommendations for the therapy of pediatric community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) that all converge on the identification of aminopenicillins and beta-lactams as the optimal treatment for CAP. We also conducted a review of the current literature on antibiotic regimens used for pediatric CAP to identify the current state of guidelines implementation in different settings. We selected 37 studies published from 2010 to 2016, including both retrospective and prospective studies, mainly cross-sectional and hospital based. The results show a global heterogeneity in the antibiotics prescription for pediatric CAP, with application of guidelines varying from 0% to more than 91% and with important differences even within the same country. Conclusions Our review has demonstrated that the implementation of the guidelines is still limited but also that achieving the optimal prescription is possible and can be done in both developed and developing countries.

Antibiotic Prescribing Patterns in Paediatric Patients at Levy Mwanawasa University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia

“…These similarities in the findings could be due to the availability of these drugs in these various hospitals and hence their use. Additionally, there could also be some similarities in the treatment guidelines developed by these hospitals in the various hospitals that were considered for the studies [9]. However, the findings of this study were contradicted by what was found in other studies which found that cephalosporins were the most commonly used antibiotics unlike penicillins [21,38].…”

“…An increase in infections caused by resistant bacteria has called for rational and appropriate use of antibiotics in paediatrics [9]. Antibiotics should be used rightly and for the right patient, at the right time, in the right dose, and administered correctly while providing them at an affordable cost with the right information [10].…”

Антибактеріальна Терапія Позалікарняних Пневмоній У Дітей

“…Выбор азитромицина является бесспорным врачебным действием при лечении внебольничных пневмоний, вызванных внутриклеточными бактериальными инфектами Chlamydophila pneumoniae, Mycoplasma pneumoniaе, или в случаях отсутствия эффекта от предшествующей терапии β-лактамными антибактериальными средствами [17] Апоптоз Нейтрофилы Индукция апоптоза [51] NK-клетки Индукция апоптоза [36] Фагоцитоз Макрофаги Усиление фагоцитоза (особенно апоптотических нейтрофилов) [23] лином/клавуланатом по уровню клинической эффективности. Также показано, что эффективность комбинированного антибактериального лечения внебольничной пневмонии у детей β-лактамными препаратами с макролидами (азитромицином, эритромицином или кларитромицином) превосходит наблюдаемую при монотерапии β-лактамными антибактериальными средствами [10].…”

Correlation of Exclusive Breastfeeding and Cigarette Smoke Exposure With Pneumonia in Children Under Two Years

“…Pneumonia is the leading cause of mortality in children under the age of five throughout the world, with an estimated 1.30 million deaths in 2011, which the majority happened in developing countries (Donà, Luise, Dalt, & Giaquinto, 2017). Pneumonia is inflammation of the lungs caused by pneumococcus, staphylococcus, and streptococcus bacteria.…”