title: Antibiotic use, gastroenteritis and respiratory illness in South Australian children.
abstract: This study examines the incidence of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea (AAD) in children in the community setting. Parents of 965 children aged 4-6 years and resident in rural/semi-rural South Australia completed a questionnaire on socio-demographic factors, and a 6-week daily diary detailing symptoms of gastroenteritis, antibiotic use, respiratory illness, and contact with someone with gastroenteritis. The incidence of AAD was 32.3 %, falling to 23.5% when episodes associated with a respiratory illness were excluded. Respiratory illness in the previous 3 days (OR 6.76, 95% CI 4.87, 9.38), and contact with someone with gastroenteritis in the previous 14 days (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.48, 2.19), were both associated with gastroenteritis. After adjusting for these, only the first day of antibiotic use was associated with gastroenteritis (OR 3.8, 95% CI 1.8, 8.06). Potential confounding factors, in particular inter-current respiratory illness, need to be considered when examining AAD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Talbot-Smith
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Heyworth
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D016021:Epidemiologic Studies; D005260:Female; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D013021:South Australia / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents