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Sulfonamides most frequently prescribed to children prior to onset of C. difficile infection
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — New data presented at ICAAC 2014 indicated sulfonamides were the most frequently prescribed class of antibiotics prior to the first diagnosis of Clostridium difficile among children.
Researchers from the F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine at Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md., identified children with an outpatient or inpatient diagnosis of C. difficile via billing records between 2001 to 2013 from the United States military health system database. Medications prescribed 12 weeks prior to first C. difficile infection were indicated by outpatient pharmacy records. Study participants were aged 2 to 18 years.
Of the 1,049 children hospitalized with their first C. difficile infection, 58.8% were prescribed antibiotics 12 weeks prior to infection. Approximately 56% of the 1,370 children diagnosed as outpatients were prescribed antibiotics prior to C. difficile infection.
Forty percent of study participants who received antibiotics were exposed to multiple antibiotic classes during the 12 weeks preceding infection. Sulfonamides were the most frequently prescribed class of antibiotics, followed by aminopenicillins, third-generation cephalosporins, and combinations of aminopenicillin and betalactamase inhibitors. Fluoroquiolones accounted for 4.7% of antibiotic prescriptions prior to first C. difficile infection, and clindamycin accounted for 7.1%.
These data contrast findings among adults and may reflect unique antibiotic prescribing practices in children, according to researchers.
“Providers should be cognizant of the risk of C. difficile infection in children who have received sulfonamides, broad-spectrum antibiotics or combination antibiotic therapy,” the researchers concluded.
For more information:
Adams DJ. Abstract G-990. Presented at: Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy; Sept. 5-9, 2014; Washington, D.C.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.