title: Trends in paediatric macrolide use in five European countries-a population-based study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The study aims to analyse overall as well as subgroup-specific outpatient paediatric macrolide use in five European countries, including time trends of macrolide prescription rates, and to provide potential targets for future interventions aiming to promote judicious macrolide use.
  
  
  METHODS
  Macrolide prescription rates per 1000 person years to paediatric outpatients (≤18 years) were calculated using healthcare databases from Denmark, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands and the UK. Poisson regression analysis was used to estimate the influence of increasing calendar year on total macrolide and subgroup-specific prescription rates based on monthly data, adjusted for seasonal variations. Time periods for which data were available varied between 4 (Italy 2007-10, Germany 2005-8) and 10 years (UK 2000-9).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Paediatric macrolide use in 2008 varied between 199 (Italy) and 47 (Netherlands) prescriptions per 1000 person years. Prescription rates of short-acting macrolides declined significantly in all countries but the UK. The use of intermediate-acting macrolides significantly rose with increasing calendar year in Denmark (rate ratio (RR) = 1.12) and the UK (RR = 1.06), but decreased in Germany (RR = 0.84) and The Netherlands (RR = 0.97). Prescription rates of long-acting agents increased in Denmark (RR = 1.05), The Netherlands (RR = 1.05) and the UK (RR = 1.11) (all trends p < 0.05). The greatest seasonal variations of macrolide use between summer and winter months were observed in Italy and Germany.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The observed trend toward increased prescribing of intermediate- and/or long-acting agents might further increase resistance pressure on bacterial pathogens due to their prolonged plasma half-life and broader antibacterial activity. Marked seasonality of prescription rates in the high-utilising countries, Italy and Germany, suggests frequent prescription of macrolides to treat respiratory infections which may be of viral origin.
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology - BIPS, Achterstr. 30, 28359, Bremen, Germany, holstiege@bips.uni-bremen.de.
authors.forename: Jakob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Holstiege
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Enders
authors.forename: Tania
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schink
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Innocenti
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oteri
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bezemer
authors.forename: Florentia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kaguelidou
authors.forename: Mariam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Molokhia
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Poluzzi
authors.forename: Aurora
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Puccini
authors.forename: Sinna Pilgaard
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Ulrichsen
authors.forename: Miriam C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Sturkenboom
authors.forename: Gianluca
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Trifirò
authors.forename: Edeltraut
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Garbe
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000639:trends*; D005060:Europe; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018942:Macrolides / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000188:drug therapy; D012621:Seasons
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D018942:Macrolides