MISUSE OF ANTIBIOTICS IN PEDIATRIC GASTROENTERITIS OF AL-SADDER TEACHING HOSPITAL IN MISAN PROVINCE, IRAQ.

Background:Antibiotics are the most commonly prescribed drugs in many developed and developing countries. Overuse of antibiotics result not only in the emergence of resistant bacteria but also in adverse reactions and economic burden on health system. Aim of study:To estimate the extent of antibiotics’ misuse in children less than 5 years with gastroenteritis. Patients and methods:A cross-sectional study was carried out in Al-Sadder Teaching Hospital in Misan Province, South East of Iraq, during period from 15th November 2015 to 15th February 2016. Three hundred patients with gastroenteritis had been admitted to Pediatric Ward were enrolled in the study. Data were collected from patients’ files. Results:290 (96.67%) cases were received antibiotics while 10 (3.33%) cases were not. Majority of cases of (74.83%) received two antibiotics. And the most common antibiotics were third generation cephalosporin followed by metronidazole. Conclusion: Obviously there was a definite misuse of antibiotics in children under five years during an episode of diarrhea. Adherence to recommended guidelines in gastroenteritis treatment will limit this problem.