Medicus, Vol. 9 No. 2_Antibiotici, 2000.
Review article
The Use of Antibiotics in Children in Out-Patient Practice
Milena Vrečko-Tolar
Abstract
The discovery of antibiotics is one of the
most important in the history of medicine. After almost fifty
years of their application, the bacteria have become resistant
to many antibiotics. With the aim of preventing further
advance of bacterial resistance to antibiotics, they should be
prescribed most rationally. Antibiotics are neither antipyretics
nor antivirotics. In routine out-patient practice it is difficult or
even practically impossible to distinguish whether an infection
is caused by bacteria or viruses. In differential diagnosis the
available simple diagnostic test should be applied. In order to
chose the right antibiotics, the physician should have several
things in mind: antibacterial spectrum, favorable pharmacokinetic
properties, good tolerability, pharmaceutical shape. The
majority of children with bacterial infections are infants and
children under 5 years of age. In peroral therapy in that age it
is better to prescribe a suspension. Oral antibiotics mostly
applied in pediatrics are: penicillins, cephalosporins,
macrolides, clindamycins, trimethoprim/sulfometoxasol, and
in older children tetracyclines.
Keywords
children; oral antibiotics; bacterial infections; treatment
Hrčak ID:
19206
URI
Publication date:
20.9.2000.
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