Positive trend Doctors prescribe fewer antibiotics to children

Less antibiotic prescriptions for children

In recent years it has been repeatedly criticized that doctors prescribe antibiotics too often, in many cases unnecessarily and often only on suspicion. Now there is a positive message: According to a recent evaluation, antibiotic prescriptions have fallen - at least for children.

Antibiotics for children only in an emergency

Although experts warn again and again that the administration of antibiotics in childhood can have health consequences, and children should receive such preparations only in an emergency, the medications have been prescribed too often in the past, even for the youngest. However, such funds are now increasingly critically evaluated by parents. And apparently more doctors are more reserved in the prescriptions.

According to a recent evaluation, doctors prescribe fewer and fewer antibiotics to children. Such drugs should be prescribed to the little ones anyway only in an emergency. (Image: ladysuzi / fotolia.com)

Number of prescriptions is declining

As an evaluation of the insurance data of the KKH Commercial Health Insurance revealed, doctors prescribe fewer and fewer antibiotics to children.

Accordingly, in 2016, 425 antibiotic prescriptions were issued nationwide per 1,000 children and adolescents up to the age of 17 - 33 percent fewer than in 2008.

In the same period, KKH even registered a decline of 51 percent among those under the age of one year: in 2016, medics therefore only issued 95 antibiotic prescriptions per 1,000 infants.

Bad consequences for the health

"It is very positive that antibiotics are being used with increasing care in children," said Sven Seisselberg, pharmacist at the KKH. "Especially in infants, frequent ingestion can have serious consequences for your health."

These include, above all, an increased risk of inflammatory bowel disease as well as asthma and obesity.

According to researchers, babies who receive antibiotics during breastfeeding suffer more often from infections and are more likely to need more antibiotics as a result.

Experts cite as a reason the harmful effect of the drugs on the intestinal flora: they reduce the intestinal bacteria not only numerically, but also provide for a lower diversity.

Even if nursing mothers get an antibiotic, this can harm the baby as it absorbs the ingredients through breast milk. "If antibiotics are necessary, they should be used as goal-oriented as possible and not broad-spectrum medications should be prescribed," said Seißelberg. (Ad)