Evidence Update for Clinicians: Narrow- versus Broad-Spectrum Antibiotics for Common Infections in Children
Comparing Narrow- vs. Broad-Spectrum Antibiotics for Common Infections in Children. The choice of antibiotic to treat acute bacterial upper respiratory tract infections in children can affect both symptom resolution and the risk of side effects such as diarrhea and vomiting. The findings of a PCORI-funded study published in JAMA can help clinicians treating children for acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs)—including acute otitis media, Group A streptococcal pharyngitis, and acute sinusitis—make decisions with parents about the medicine that is best for the child. The study, led by Jeffrey Gerber, a pediatrician and researcher at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, included 30,086 children ages 6 months to 12 years taking narrow- and broad-spectrum antibiotics to treat ARTIs.