Safety of azithromycin in paediatrics: a systematic review protocol

Xu, Peipei; Zeng, Linan; Xiong, Tao; Choonara, Imti; Qazi, Shamim; Zhang, Lingli

Abstract

Introduction: Azithromycin is widely used in children not only in the treatment of individual children with infectious diseases, but also as mass drug administration (MDA) within a community to eradicate or control specific tropical diseases. MDA has also been reported to have a beneficial effect on child mortality and morbidity. However, concerns have been raised about the safety of azithromycin, especially in young children. The aim of this review is to systematically identify the safety of azithromycin in children of all ages.

Methods and analysis: MEDLINE, PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Embase, CINAHL, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts and adverse drug reaction (ADR) monitoring systems will be systematically searched for randomised controlled trials (RCTs), cohort studies, case–control studies, cross-sectional studies, case series and case reports evaluating the safety of azithromycin in children. The Cochrane risk of bias tool, Newcastle-Ottawa and quality assessment tools, and The Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal tools will be used for quality assessment. Meta-analyses will be conducted to the incidence of ADRs from RCTs if appropriate. Subgroup analyses will be performed in different age and azithromycin dosage groups.

Citation

Xu, P., Zeng, L., Xiong, T., Choonara, I., Qazi, S., & Zhang, L. (2019). Safety of azithromycin in paediatrics: a systematic review protocol. BMJ Paediatrics Open, 3(1), Article e000469. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjpo-2019-000469

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 3, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Jun 19, 2019
• Publication Date: Jun 19, 2019
• Deposit Date: Jun 26, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 26, 2019
• Journal: BMJ Paediatrics Open
• Electronic ISSN: 2399-9772
• Publisher: BMJ Publishing Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 3
• Issue: 1
• Article Number: e000469
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjpo-2019-000469
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2229693
• Publisher URL: https://bmjpaedsopen.bmj.com/content/3/1/e000469
• Contract Date: Jun 26, 2019