Children Prescribed Antibiotics for Pneumonia Fared No Better Than Those Without Antibiotics: Study

Children who were prescribed antibiotics for pneumonia had the same treatment outcomes as those who were not prescribed antibiotics after their discharge from an emergency department, according to an April 2020 study in Pediatrics. The study, “Antibiotic Use and Outcomes in Children in the Emergency Department with Suspected Pneumonia” (published online March 16), performed a cohort study of 337 children between ages 3 months and 18 years old who were treated as outpatients for community-acquired pneumonia. The researchers found no statistical difference in treatment failure between the half who were prescribed antibiotics and the half that weren’t. Specifically, researchers found no difference in the proportion of children with return visits for hospitalization (3.4% with antibiotics vs. 3.4% without); initiation or change of antibiotics in the two weeks after discharge (4.8% vs 6.1%); or in parent-reported quality of life measures. Community-acquired pneumonia is common in children. Treatment decisions can be challenging because of a lack of practical tools to differentiate bacterial from viral causes of pneumonia. Prior studies have shown the most pneumonia cases in children under 5 years of age are viral. The authors conclude that opportunities exist to manage more children with suspected pneumonia in the outpatient setting without antibiotics.

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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.