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Is a short-course antibiotic treatment effective for streptococcal tonsillopharyngitis in children?

Camila Rojas-Ramírez1, Tomás Kramer-Urrutia2, Lorena Cifuentes3

  • 1Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile; Proyecto Epistemonikos, Santiago, Chile. Email: lorena.cifuentes@uc.cl. Address: Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Diagonal Paraguay 362, Santiago Centro, Chile.

Medwave
|August 5, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Shortened antibiotic courses for acute bacterial tonsillopharyngitis in children appear as effective as longer durations. This approach may not significantly impact complications from Streptococcus group A infections.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Acute bacterial tonsillopharyngitis in children is traditionally treated with 10-day antibiotic courses.
  • The goal of prolonged antibiotic therapy is to prevent complications.
  • The efficacy of shortened antibiotic regimens in preventing complications remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if shortened antibiotic treatment for acute bacterial tonsillopharyngitis in children is as effective as longer courses in preventing complications.
  • To synthesize evidence from existing systematic reviews and randomized trials.

Main Methods:

  • A comprehensive search was conducted in the Epistemonikos database.
  • Five systematic reviews encompassing 59 randomized trials were identified.
  • Data extraction, meta-analysis, and a GRADE approach for summarizing findings were performed.

Main Results:

  • Shortened antibiotic regimens demonstrated similar effectiveness to longer courses.
  • Minimal differences were observed between shortened and prolonged treatment durations.
  • No significant difference was found in complications related to Streptococcus group A infection.

Conclusions:

  • Shortened antibiotic therapy is likely comparable to standard 10-day courses for acute bacterial tonsillopharyngitis.
  • The duration of antibiotic treatment may not influence the occurrence of Streptococcus group A-related complications.
  • Further research may refine optimal antibiotic strategies for pediatric tonsillopharyngitis.

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