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Safety of fluoroquinolones in paediatrics
Laura Cuzzolin1, Vassilios Fanos
1Department of Pediatrics, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
Insights
Fluoroquinolones offer convenient oral treatment for children, but potential cartilage toxicity necessitates cautious use. Reviewing literature, this study focuses on pediatric fluoroquinolone safety, side effects, and drug interactions, especially regarding arthropathy.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology
- Pediatric Medicine
- Drug Safety
Background:
- Increasing pressure exists to utilize fluoroquinolones in pediatric patients due to their oral administration convenience for outpatient treatment.
- However, fluoroquinolones carry a risk of cartilage toxicity, limiting their use in children and necessitating cautious application.
- Existing safety data in pediatric populations is limited, emphasizing the need for thorough review.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review existing literature on the safety of fluoroquinolones in pediatric patients.
- To focus on identified side effects in children, including potential arthropathy.
- To examine drug interactions associated with fluoroquinolone use in pediatric populations.
Main Methods:
- Comprehensive literature review of studies reporting on fluoroquinolone use in children.
- Analysis of safety data, with a specific focus on adverse events and cartilage toxicity.
- Examination of documented drug interactions in the pediatric population.
Main Results:
- Fluoroquinolones are generally well-tolerated in pediatric patients.
- Potential for cartilage toxicity remains a significant concern, impacting safety profiles.
- Specific side effects in children, including arthropathy, are detailed in the literature.
Conclusions:
- Cautious use of fluoroquinolones in children is recommended due to potential cartilage toxicity.
- Further research is needed to fully elucidate the long-term safety and efficacy in pediatric populations.
- Understanding drug interactions is crucial for safe fluoroquinolone prescribing in children.
Abstract:
In the last few years, there has been increasing pressure to use fluoroquinolones in paediatric patients, since these antibiotics offer the advantage of an oral treatment regimen on an out-patient basis. However, even although this class of antibiotics generally remains well-tolerated, the restriction of fluoroquinolone use in children on a compassionate basis, which derives from their potential to cause cartilage toxicity, limits the safety data in this population and suggests a cautious use. This review reports the data of the literature on the safety of fluoroquinolones in different districts, focusing on the side effects in children and drug interactions. Moreover, data available in the literature with regards to side effects in children are reported, with particular attention to their potential in arthropathy.