J Korean Med Assoc.
2004 Nov;47(11):1107-1115. 10.5124/jkma.2004.47.11.1107.
Antibiotic Treatment in Pediatric Primary Care
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Pediatrics, Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Sungmo Jaae Hospital, Korea.
- KMID: 1957923
- DOI: http://doi.org/10.5124/jkma.2004.47.11.1107
Abstract
- It has become apparent that infants and children are not small adults. Usually, they suffer from a different array of infectious diseases. The disposition of antimicrobial agents in their bodies is different and is often their response to drug therapy. And, there are substantial differences in these variables even among pediatric age groups. The intelligent use of antimicrobial agents in children requires more than simple extrapolation of observations made in adults. So, we need a very intensive research effort into the pharmacodynamic and kinetic and response to antimicrobial drugs in the pediatric patients. Also, the frequent empirical antibiotic use has led to increased resistance to certain antimicrobial groups. Appropriate prescription of antibiotics in primary care is influenced by several factors in the antibiotic use by general practitioners. An empirical prescription guideline based on the pharmacoepidemiology of resistance, recommending the use of potent and effective antibiotics that are less influenced by resistance to the marker, may help counter the spread of resistance in the community.
