A study published in the journal
Pediatrics found that children under five years old are the ones most likely to have reactions to medications, and they usually occur the first time a child takes the drug as a result of undiagnosed allergies.
- Dr. Florence Bourgeois, a physician at Children's Hospital in Boston, used data compiled on over 585,000 pediatric prescription drug reactions between 1995 and 2005.
- About 5 percent of the children ended up in the hospital.
- Teenagers accounted for about one-fourth of hospitalizations and emergency room visits.
One major problem was improper administration of liquid medications. For example, parents often mixed up teaspoons with milliliters. Another problem involved giving adult medications to children.
Labels: health risks, medicine
Posted By: Aspen/CRC
