[Antibiotic prescribing to the paediatric population of Castilla y León in the last decade: trends, seasonal fluctuations and geographical differences].

Introduction: The development of antibiotic resistance is a danger to the health of the population, especially for children,due to low antimicrobial arsenal available to them.

Material And Methods: We performed a retrospective observational study referred to the prescriptions of systemic antibiotic in the paediatric population of Castilla y León in the years 2001 to 2010.

Results: The total use of antibiotics outside hospitals is around to 20.7 DID (defined daily dose per 1,000 inhabitants per day). There are two different phases: the first from 2001 to 2007 where there is an increase of consumption, with a peak of 25 DID in 2003, following a phase of decline, with a minimum of 18 DID in 2010. Broad-spectrum penicillins are the most used. We also observe changes in prescription trends. It has a clear seasonal prescription profile related to acute respiratory infections (ARI) of winter, stands in February. The use of antibiotics varies substantially between different Health Areas.

Conclusions: We observed a decrease in antibiotic prescription to children in the last three years. Changes in the prescription profile for amoxicillin and at the expense of greater spectrum antibacterial antibiotics indicate a better match to therapeutic guidelines in recent years. The variability found in different Health Areas suggests the need for improvement in the rational use of antibiotic, at least to some.