Understanding reactions to Amoxicillin in pediatric care in emergency departments and urgent care settings

Summaries 3 min 685

Font Size

Created On: 16/11/2023

To comprehensively delineate the entire range of symptoms linked with amoxicillin-associated reactions (AARs) in pediatric patients in the emergency department (ED) and urgent care facility (UC).

See All

Key take away

"Worrisome" symptoms, including fever, angioedema, and gastrointestinal symptoms, are frequent in children with reactions/allergies to Amoxicillin (antibiotic medication) in acute care settings.

Background

To comprehensively delineate the entire range of symptoms linked with amoxicillin-associated reactions (AARs) in pediatric patients in the emergency department (ED) and urgent care facility (UC).

Method

This retrospective analysis of medical records for pediatric patients seen in the ED/UC between July 1, 2015, and June 30, 2017, meticulously documented clinical manifestations, timing of symptoms, and seasonal patterns. These cases were categorized into 3 regular presentations of AAR: urticaria, maculopapular exanthem (MPE) and serum sickness-like reactions (SSLRs) characterized by the presence of joint symptoms.

Result

A total of 668 children, with a median age of 1.8 years, sought care in the ED/UC for urticaria (44%), MPE (36%), and SSLRs (11%), usually happening between days 7 to 10 following the exposure to Amoxicillin.

Children experiencing SSLRs were more commonly administered corticosteroids (28%, P < .0001) and displayed higher rates of "worrisome" features, such as angioedema, fever or gastrointestinal symptoms (73%). Surprisingly, a significant proportion of children (10%) returned to the ED/UC for re-examination.

Conclusion

The presence of "worrisome" symptoms is prevalent among children presenting to the ED/UC with allergies or reactions to Amoxicillin. Further investigations are necessary to evaluate the implications of these findings on subsequent referrals and allergy testing.