Comparison of Short-Term Versus Long-Term Antibiotic Therapy Among Severe Cases of Pneumonia: A Prospective
Dnyaneshwar Potpalle1, Sandeep Gada1, Amar Devaguru2
1Paediatrics, Mahavir Institute of Medical Sciences, Vikarabad, IND.
Insights
Short-course parenteral antibiotics are effective for severe pneumonia in children. Very severe cases, however, require longer treatment and are linked to higher mortality and treatment failure rates.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
Background:
- Pneumonia is a leading cause of child mortality globally, particularly in resource-limited settings.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a 5-day course of intravenous antibiotics for severe pneumonia.
- Optimal antibiotic duration is challenging in resource-constrained environments like India.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the effectiveness of different durations of parenteral antibiotic therapy for severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children.
- To evaluate treatment outcomes in relation to antibiotic course length in a tertiary care setting in India.
Main Methods:
- A prospective observational study involving 225 children (2 months to 5 years) with severe or very severe CAP.
- Empirical parenteral antibiotic therapy guided by WHO guidelines, alongside supportive care.
- Monitoring of hematological parameters (hemoglobin, CRP, ESR, TLC) and radiological findings, with follow-up for clinical response.
Main Results:
- Out of 225 cases, 25 (11.1%) experienced treatment failure.
- Of the 200 responders, 104 (52%) showed clinical response within 3 days, and 96 (48%) responded within 4-7 days.
- Short-course antibiotic therapy was statistically as effective as long-course therapy for severe pneumonia (p<0.0001).
Conclusions:
- Short-course parenteral antibiotic therapy is effective for severe pneumonia in children.
- Very severe pneumonia necessitates a longer antibiotic course and is associated with increased mortality and treatment failure.
- Findings suggest a need for tailored antibiotic duration strategies based on pneumonia severity in resource-limited settings.
Abstract:
Introduction Pneumonia continues to be the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children younger than five years. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends intravenous antibiotics for five days for severe pneumonia. However, the optimum duration of parenteral antibiotic therapy for pneumonia is not practicable and feasible in poor and resource-constrained settings like India. Given the current Indian scenario wherein childhood pneumonia is extremely prevalent, we attempted to undertake this study to compare the duration of antibiotic therapy in severe cases of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Methods A prospective observational study was carried out on 225 cases of severe and very severe CAP patients at a tertiary care center. The study group included children between two months to five years of age. The participants were subjected to antibiotic therapy (parenteral) plus supportive care. The selection of antibiotics was empirical and according to the WHO acute respiratory infection control program. Hematological parameters including blood hemoglobin, C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and total leukocyte count, and radiological evaluation were performed on all the participants. Cases were followed up for the duration of clinical response. Results Out of the 225 cases, 25 patients did not respond to antibiotics and were categorized as the treatment failure group. Of the remaining 200 cases, 104 (52%) showed clinical response within three days (3.0±0.016), and 96 showed a response in four to seven days (4.4±0.064). The mean duration of antibiotic therapy among short-course versus long-course treatment was statistically significant (p<0.0001). The majority of patients developed leukocytosis, neutrophilia, and elevated ESR. Conclusion Short-course parenteral antibiotics therapy was equally effective as long-course therapy in severe pneumonia. However, very severe pneumonia patients required a longer course of parenteral antibiotics therapy. Very severe pneumonia was significantly associated with high mortality and treatment failure.
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