Summaries of Must-Read Clinical Literature, Guidelines, and FDA Actions
Preventing Pneumococcal Infection in Kids with SCD
Cochrane; 2017 Oct 10; Rankine-Mullings, et al
Penicillin substantially lowers the risk of pneumococcal infection in children with sickle cell disease (SCD), according to a Cochrane review of 3 trials involving more than 800 individuals. It also produces few adverse reactions. Among the findings, based on low quality evidence:
- All 3 clinical trials showed that penicillin reduced the rate of pneumococcal infection in children with SCD.
- Reductions were larger in children aged <5 years.
- A follow-up trial did not show significantly increased risk when penicillin was stopped at 5 years of age.
- Adverse events were rare and minor.
- Keeping children on the treatment schedule was sometimes problematic, as was development of antibiotic resistance.
Citation:
Rankine-Mullings A, Owusu-Ofori S. Prophylactic antibiotics for preventing pneumococcal infection in children with sickle cell disease. Cochrane Database of Syst Rev. 2017, Issue 10. Art. No.: CD003427. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD003427.pub4.