HOME
Egypt J Pediatr Allergy Immunol, (October 2018), Volume No. 16, Issue 02  
 
Country
OPEN ACCESS
1
EG
Download
Egypt J Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2018 ; 16 ( 02 ) : 41 - 44
, ESP - 252  
Original articles
Use of antibiotics for asthma attacks in Egyptian children
Nihal Mohamed El Rifai   Hoda Ibrahim Rizk          
Background: Bacterial infection plays a negligible role in pediatric acute asthma attacks. However, many patients are treated empirically with antibiotics. Objective: This study attempted to investigate the problem of antibiotic use as a part of the treatment of acute asthma among children living in Egypt. Methods: The current exploratory study included a random sample of 300 children visiting the allergy clinic, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University from September 2016 to September 2017. A study researcher applied a validated questionnaire to the child's parents about the usage of antibiotics. Results: Most families belonged to the low or middle social class. About 65.7% of children had sub-optimal asthma control, 73.7% experienced acute attacks, with over half of them (51%) receiving antibiotics; 41.8% of those who received antibiotics were self-medicated. Over 90% reused previous prescriptions. Main single reasons for resorting to self-medication were to save money and the assumption that previous prescriptions can be reused. About 45.3% expressed intention to employ self-medication in the future. Low social class was associated with significantly higher odds of resorting to self-medication (odds ratio=3.32; p=0.05). Conclusion: A remarkable antibiotic use was detected among children who had acute asthma, a large proportion of which was without medical consultation. Family social class was an independent predictor for adopting self-medication.