Shorter course of antibiotics for pneumonia in children ‘as effective’ as 5-day course

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By Sarah Lowden

Babies and children between 3 months and 11 years with non-severe community-acquired pneumonia should be prescribed a 3-day rather than 5-day course of antibiotics, according to new draft guidelines.

The proposed updated clinical guideline from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence applies to patients without complications or underlying disease who have pneumonia which is not assessed as severe and was contracted outside of a healthcare setting.

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) accounts for 5-12% of all lower respiratory tract infections managed by GPs in England. Between 22% and 42% (82,242-157,008) of people with CAP will require hospital-based care.

NICE’s independent guideline committee looked at evidence that suggested the 3-day course was “as effective” as a 5-day course. The committee acknowledged that overuse of antibiotics contributes to antimicrobial resistance, and a shorter course also saves NHS resources.

Shorter courses of antibiotics are becoming standard practice for many common infections, such as UTIs and acute bronchitis.