Consumo de antimicrobianos por crianças e sua relação com fatores sociais, econômicos e acesso a serviços de saúde: um estudo ecológico.

Abstract

The indiscriminate use of antimicrobials by children can cause several problems such as microbiological resistance and adverse drug reactions (ADR). Therefore, the objective of this study was to analyze the consumption of antimicrobials by children and observe their relationship with socioeconomic factors and access to health services in municipalities in Paraíba. This is an ecological study, with a quantitative approach using secondary data on sales of antimicrobial drugs in pharmacies and private drugstores made available by the National System for the Management of Controlled Products (SNGPC) in the municipalities of Paraíba during the years 2019 and 2020. The variables contextual socioeconomic data and access to health services were obtained through consultations with the Atlas of Human Development, IBGE and the Department of Informatics of the SUS (DATASUS). A higher consumption of antimicrobials by female children was detected with the research. The best-selling antimicrobials in the years studied were amoxicillin with clavulanate and azithromycin. Between the years 2019 and 2020 there was a statistically significant decrease in the sales volume of antimicrobials. However, in 2020 there was an increase in the consumption of antiparasitic drugs and the macrolide class, possibly justified by the COVID-19 pandemic. Regarding the AWaRe classification of the World Health Organization (WHO), there was greater consumption of the Access group and increased consumption of the Alert group in 2020. In addition, it was noticed that municipalities with greater socioeconomic development and greater access to health services had higher sales volume of antimicrobials. In this way, it was seen that the pandemic seems to have directly influenced the consumption of antimicrobials by children, and due to possible inadequate prescriptions, the future risk of increased resistance to antimicrobials is imminent, making it a worrying situation.