When (not) we give antibiotics to children

Like any other drug, antibiotics may be not without side effects. The most common are those of the digestive tract, which can manifest through vomiting or diarrhea.

Sometimes, and under certain circumstances, such as viral infections such as mononucleosis, the conditions are so that you can rise to a rash without necessarily being by drug allergy. On other occasions, and because of allergy medication may appear rash associated with hives.

When you can prescribe antibiotics to a child?

Prescribe antibiotics would be essential for a child when it is clear that infection is suffering caused by a bacterial agent (capable of being treated with antibiotics).

The choice of antibiotic will always take place depending on what the bug is suspected, which, in turn, it will have to do with the affected organ or apparatus. That's why so protocols are established according to the type of pathology, indicating antibiotics depending on what type of infection and has, therefore, what are the infectious agents most frequently involved.

Should be certain of the organism, the choice of antibiotic is simpler because it is chosen according to the same and sensitivity to the antibiotic.

Furthermore, not always necessary to prescribe antibiotics, contrary; by statistical viral infections are much more common, especially at early ages of life. Antibiotics do not cure viral infections, therefore, in those cases where such infection is suspected, far from that will not resolvernos the problem, they can have side effects as stated above. In these cases it is clear that they should not prescribe antibiotics.

The belief among many parents that infections caused by viruses in the end if untreated bacterial infections become is wrong. What parents should know is that there is a possibility of co-infection, ie, two infectious microorganisms can coexist at the same time; one viral, bacterial another.

Similarly, what initially that viral infections can sobreinfectarse other bacterial people, can not be prevented, that is, it could happen that a cold is complicated by pneumonia I. The fact start antibiotic treatment against a bacterium that can sobreinfectar a viral box, has not been shown that it can prevent, in contrast, can select bacterial strains resistant to the antibiotic, and therefore disable the same in case come supervening said about superinfection.

Ear infections and both have different throat - causing agents at different ages, which has to do with the maturity of the immune system and immunological memory of the child who has already had certain infections above. Here, below the two years they are very rare bacterial infections throat, so that it becomes difficult to prescribe antibiotic for this pathology. However, currently available rapid tests in case of doubt in the same query can detect the presence of certain bacterial agents and therefore indicate, if necessary, antibiotics. Similarly, and in contrast, otitis below two to three years old often have a bacterial infectious agent and therefore be more likely to need antibiotic treatment, which in older children, where there is enough evidence showing many of them will be resolved despite not giving any antibiotic.

If in doubt, you should consult with the pediatrician .