| ■ Antibiotics Overused to Treat Children's Sore Throats | 06.09.08 |
| Antibiotics are overused in American children with sore throats, says a survey released Wednesday by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The survey found that about 14 percent of children visited a health professional at least once a year for serious sore throat. More than two-thirds of them were prescribed antibiotics, but about 20 percent of those children didn't receive a throat swab to confirm a bacterial infection. Antibiotics can cure sore throats caused by bacteria, but not those caused by viruses. Overuse of antibiotics can lead to bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. The survey also found that: · About 30 percent of children under age 5 were prescribed antibiotics without having their throats swabbed, along with 18 percent of those ages 5 to 12, and 24 percent of those ages 13 to 17. · Hispanic children who were prescribed antibiotics were less likely (72 percent) to have their throats swabbed than white non-Hispanic children (81 percent). · Children who were prescribed antibiotics and covered by private insurance were more likely to have a throat swab (81 percent) than children covered by Medicaid or other public insurance (71 percent). |