Antibiotic Use Among Children Under 5 Years of Age in a Tertiary Care Hospital, Bangladesh

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance is common in low-middle-income countries caused by inappropriate and irrational use of antibiotics in humans and animals. Bangladesh has very limited information on antibiotic use and associated resistance. This study explored the prescribing pattern of antibiotics uses among children visiting a tertiary care hospital in Bangladesh. We conducted a crosssectional study among 400 hospitalized children less than 5 years of age from February to April, 2019, in a tertiary hospital in Bangladesh. Among the 400 children, >50% belonged to the age group for less than 1 year and >60% were male. The average hospital stay period was 3 days (range 1–14 days). The majority of the children had a history of respiratory illnesses (32.2%) and 31% had diarrhea. Most of the children (81.7%) were prescribed one or more antibiotics. The average number of antibiotics per child was 1.17. A combined form of antibiotics was prescribed in 17.43% of children. A total of 14 different antibiotics were prescribed. The most common antibiotic was ceftriaxone (62.39%), followed by azithromycin (18.65%). The parental route was mostly preferred (74.92%) for antibiotic administration. The antibiotic prescription was common in children less than 5 years of age visiting a tertiary level hospital. Most of the prescribed antibiotics were broad spectrum that can promote bacterial resistance. The study’s finding is useful to draw attention to the public health policymakers for taking necessary actions on the appropriate use of antibiotics among children in Bangladesh.

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