Trends in Oral Antibiotic, Proton Pump Inhibitor, and Histamine 2 Receptor Blocker Prescription Patterns for Children Compared with Adults: Implications for Clostridium difficile Infection in the Community

The use of antibiotics, proton pump inhibitor (PPI), and histamine 2 receptor blocker (H2B) was compared between children and adults in the community from 2005 through 2011. Antibiotic prescription rates remained stable for children, but increased significantly for adults, P =.03. PPI prescription rates increased for children, P =.02 and for adults, P =.009. H2B prescription rates increased for children, P =.03, but not for adults. Antibiotic prescription rates were significantly higher in children than adults in all 7 years, P <.0001. In contrast, PPI prescription rates were significantly higher in adults than children in all 7 years, P <.0001. H2B prescription rates were significantly higher in adults than children 1 to 18 years old P <.0001; however, H2B prescription rates were highest in children <1 year old, P =.0001. The high use of oral antibiotics, PPI, and H2B among outpatients may be a contributing factor to the rise of Clostridium difficile infection in the community.