Background: The vast majority of acute diarrheal diseases are self-limiting and do not require treatment on a regular basis. Empirical antibiotics should only be used to treat dysenteric and invasive bacterial diarrhea. Antibiotic misuse in the treatment of acute diarrhea is widespread in clinical practice worldwide. Hence, the purpose of this study was to examine the pattern of antibiotic use for the acute diarrheal diseases at Hiwot Fana Specialized University Hospital, Harar, Ethiopia.
Methods: A retrospective, institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the antibiotic utilization pattern for the treatment of acute diarrheal diseases from September 1 to September 30, 2022. Data were obtained retrospectively from patient cards treated for diarrheal disorders from August 1, 2021 to August 31, 2022, using standardized questionnaires, and the analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 27.
Results: Among 332 patients in present study, 271 (81.63%) of them received nine different types of antibiotics, with the most commonly prescribed drugs were Cotrimoxazole (30.26%), Ciprofloxacin (19.19%), and Azithromycin (17.71%). Based on the presence of blood in the stools, 14.76% of the cases were invasive bacterial in nature. Antibiotics were prescribed about 2.55 times more frequently to patients under the age of 12 than to subjects 65 and older (AOR 2.55, 95% CI 1.45-3.87). Patients who received three or more medications were 2.77 times more likely to be prescribed antibiotics (AOR 2.77, 95% CI 1.84-7.56). For every unit increase in the number of drugs prescribed, the odds of prescribing antibiotics increased by 2.44 units (COR 2.44; 95% CI 2.06-4.32).
Conclusions: The current study found that antibiotics were overused in both adults and children with acute diarrheal diseases at Hiwot Fana Specialized University Hospital. The number of antibiotics prescribed was significantly associated with the patient's age and the number of medications prescribed. To reduce antibiotic overuse, health professionals have to follow the national standard treatment guidelines.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10173574 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s40545-023-00568-7 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Acute diarrheal disease is one of the leading causes of death in children under age 5, disproportionately impacting children in low-resource settings. Many of these cases are caused by bacteria and therefore could respond to antibiotic treatment; however, the benefits of widely prescribing antibiotics must be weighed against the risks for the emergence of microbial resistance. These challenges present the opportunity for developing individualized treatment guidelines for diarrheal disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRacecadotril in the management of diarrhea: an underestimated therapeutic option?
Therap Adv Gastroenterol
January 2025
Operative Unit of Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacovigilance, Renato Dulbecco University Hospital, Catanzaro, Italy.
Acute infectious diarrhea (AID) represents an important clinical entity both regarding morbidity and mortality rates, even in industrialized countries, and it leads to one of the major public health burdens, among gastroenterological diseases, with significant healthcare costs. Oral rehydration solution is the cornerstone of the therapy, but despite its proven efficacy in avoiding dehydration, it is still underused as it does not reduce the duration of diarrhea; hence, it is perceived as ineffective by caregivers. In this narrative review, we collected literature regarding the use of racecadotril, deeply discussing its role in the treatment of AID in both adults and children.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInterconnected pathways link faecal microbiota plasma lipids and brain activity to childhood malnutrition related cognition.
Nat Commun
January 2025
Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
Malnutrition affects over 30 million children annually and has profound immediate and enduring repercussions. Survivors often suffer lasting neurocognitive consequences that impact academic performance and socioeconomic outcomes. Mechanistic understanding of the emergence of these consequences is poorly understood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUsers' Perceived Service Quality of National Telemedicine Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Bangladesh: Cross-Sectional Study.
JMIR Hum Factors
December 2024
The Institute for Global Health and Development, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
Article Synopsis
- COVID-19 led to a significant rise in teleconsultation usage in Bangladesh, increasing 20-fold during the pandemic.
- The study aimed to evaluate how service quality and user satisfaction affected users’ intentions to continue using teleconsultation after the pandemic.
- Results showed that high service quality and user satisfaction are crucial for encouraging future use of teleconsultation, indicating the importance of these factors, especially in low-income settings where access to healthcare can be limited.
Efficacy of Molecular Methods for the Diagnosis of Enteropathogenic Microorganisms Associated with Diarrhoea: A Systematic Review.
J Gastrointestin Liver Dis
December 2024
Unidad Central del Valle del Cauca-UCEVA, Tuluá, Valle del Cauca, Colombia.
Background And Aims: Diarrhoea has a significant health impact and requires accurate diagnostic approaches, despite the limitations of many existing methods. This review examines various molecular techniques aimed at facilitating the rapid diagnosis of diarrhoeal diseases caused by bacterial, viral and parasitic pathogens.
Methods: A comprehensive systematic literature review was conducted using six prestigious databases, including WOS, Scopus, Science Direct, Embase, PubMed and LILACS Plus.
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!