JAMA Pediatr

One in 5 children with pneumonia don’t receive antibiotics, study finds

November 6, 2024

Nearly 20% of children diagnosed with pneumonia in an outpatient setting didn't receive antibiotics within a day of diagnosis, according to a new multistate study. Although not receiving antibiotics was associated with a small increase in risk of treatment failure, severe outcomes were uncommon regardless of whether antibiotics were received. The findings suggest that some children diagnosed with pneumonia can likely be managed without antibiotics. Prospective studies are needed to identify such children.

This retrospective cohort study analyzed data from 103,854 Medicaid-insured children with pneumonia. Using propensity score matching to control for confounding factors, researchers aimed to determine whether antibiotics reduce treatment failure and severe outcomes in pediatric pneumonia cases.

Key findings: Treatment failure occurred in 10.7% of those who didn't receive antibiotics and 8.7% of those who did Severe outcomes were rare, occurring in 1.1% of children without antibiotics and 0.7% with antibiotics (risk difference, 0.46 percentage points).

Source:

Shapiro DJ, et al. (2024, October 1). JAMA Netw Open. Outpatient Antibiotic Use and Treatment Failure Among Children With Pneumonia. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39470638/