Prescription of Antibiotics for Adults with Acute Infectious Diarrhea in Korea: A Population-based Study

• Published in: Infection & chemotherapy 2019, 51(3), , pp.295-304
• Main Authors: Lee, Hyo-Jin, Park, Ki-Ho, Park, Dong-Ah, Park, Joonhong, Bang, Byoung Wook, Lee, Seung Soon, Lee, Eun Jung, Kim, Youn Jeong, Hong, Sung Kwan, Kim, Yang Ree
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Original; 내과학
• ISSN: 2093-2340; 2092-6448
• DOI: 10.3947/ic.2019.51.3.295

BACKGROUNDAcute infectious diarrhea (AID) is a commonly observed condition globally. Several studies recommend against the use of empiric antibiotic therapy for AID, except in some cases of travelers' diarrhea. However, many physicians prescribe antimicrobial agents for AID. We aimed to determine the rate of antibiotic use and the associated prescription patterns among adults with AID. MATERIALS AND METHODSThis population-based, retrospective epidemiological study was performed using Korean National Health Insurance claims data from 2016 to 2017. The study population comprised adults (age ≥18 years) who had visited clinics with AID-related complaints. Exclusion criteria were the presence of Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, and other non-infectious forms of colitis. Patients who underwent surgery during admission were also excluded. RESULTSThe study population comprised 1,613,057 adult patients with AID (767,606 [47.6%] men). Young patients (age 18 - 39 years) accounted for 870,239 (54.0%) of the study population. Overall, 752,536 (46.7%) cases received antibiotic prescriptions. The rate of antibiotic administration tended to be higher among elderly patients (age ≥65 years) than among younger patients (49.5% vs. 46.4%, P