Utilización de antibióticos en faringoamigdalitis aguda en la provincia de Albacete

Abstract

Introduction: acute tonsillitis is one of the most prevalent pathologies among the pediatric population and one of the leading causes of antibiotic prescribing in this group. Materials and methods: observational and descriptive study of the use of antibiotics in acute tonsillitis. We have included all the children from our health area who have been prescribed antibiotics as treatment of an acute tonsillitis during the three years of the study. Results: a total of 53,995 acute tonsillitis were diagnosed during the three years of the project, some of which, 33,426 (61.9%), were treated with antibiotics. In children under the age of 3 years, 10,901 cases of acute tonsillitis were diagnosed (20.2% of the tonsillitis), being treated with antibiotics 6,494 (59.6%). We have observed that the most prescribed antibiotics were beta-lactamase sensitive penicillins (phenoxymethylpenicillin, benzathine phenoxymethylpenicillin) and amoxicillin: 60.3% in the first year, 60.9% in the second one and 66.8% in the third year, meanwhile other groups of antibiotics were less commonly used: amoxicillin/clavulanic acid in 2,475 cases (18.2%) in the first year of the study, 1,754 (17.7%) in the second and 1,644 (16.6%) in the third one. Furthermore, a decreased use of macrolides has been observed: 2,825 (20.7%) in the first year, 1,933 (19.6%) in the second and 1,419 (14.3%) in the last one. Conclusions: the use of amoxicillin/clavulanic acid and macrolides is significantly above from what could be expected considering the low prevalence of carriers of Streptococcus pyogenes in the pharynx or of children allergic to penicillin.