CM Hui, K Tse

Abstract

Objective: To estimate the incidence rate and risk factors of developing Antibiotic Associated Diarrhoea (AAD) in paediatric patients in hospital setting. Design: Retrospective case records review. Setting: General paediatric ward of a regional acute hospital. Methods: Within a one month study period, the case records of all newly admitted paediatric patients with antibiotics prescribed after admission are reviewed. Diarrhoea is defined as loose stools three times or more per day, or watery stool. Patients who had no feature of prior infective gastroenteritis or nosocomial infection and developed diarrhoea after administration of antibiotic will be considered to have AAD. The demographic data of the patients, the duration of diarrhoea and the stool consistency will be recorded. The different classes of antibiotics prescribed will also be reported.Results: 18 out of 171 patients (10.5%) developed AAD and all patients with AAD were less than three years of age. The majority of AAD was mild and self-limiting. The relationships between incidence of AAD and different types of antibiotic prescribed cannot be clearly determined due to small patient number. Conclusion: The impact of the problem cannot be overlooked and further large scale prospective study is warranted to determine the true incidence and risk factors of AAD.