Pneumonia can be treated at home: study

TREATING children with pneumonia at home is just as effective as treating them in hospitals, a new study has found.

The study results could significantly change the way the illness is managed in developing countries, saving a significant number of lives every year and taking pressure off health systems. The research was conducted in Pakistan by researchers from the Boston University School of Public Health and supported by World Health Organisation and the US Agency for International Development (USAID).It involved 2 037 children with pneumonia who were randomly assigned to get either intravenous antibiotics in a hospital or antibiotic pills at home.The trial was the first to compare the outcomes of hospital treatment of pneumonia with home-based treatment, and the results demonstrate the safety and efficacy of treating it with oral antibiotics outside a hospital setting.Almost four children die from pneumonia every minute in the world.About 60 per cent of pneumonia cases in the developing world are caused by bacteria and can be treated with antibiotics, whereas most cases of pneumonia in developed countries are viral.In the study, there were 87 (8,6 per cent) treatment failures in the hospitalised group, and 77 (7,5 per cent) in the group treated at home.Of the five children (0,2 per cent) who died during the study, four were in the hospitalised group and one was at home.This study confirmed the findings of three other trials in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America, which showed that oral antibiotics were just as effective as intravenous antibiotics in treating hospitalised children with severe pneumonia.The current guidelines advise health workers to provide oral antibiotics for non-severe cases of pneumonia and to refer severe and very severe cases to hospitals for treatment with antibiotics by injection.However, many children with severe pneumonia who are currently referred for admission to a hospital either die before they reach there or are so sick by the time they arrive that nothing more can be done to save them.”In-patient treatment may not be an option for parents who cannot leave their homes to accompany the sick child.In addition, children with severe pneumonia are vulnerable to infections as a result of weak immunity and could be at increased risk in crowded hospital wards,” the report said.It said a community-based approach would bring treatment to people’s homes, so that children with pneumonia can be identified and begin treatment before the onset of life-threatening complications.The research was conducted in Pakistan by researchers from the Boston University School of Public Health and supported by World Health Organisation and the US Agency for International Development (USAID).It involved 2 037 children with pneumonia who were randomly assigned to get either intravenous antibiotics in a hospital or antibiotic pills at home.The trial was the first to compare the outcomes of hospital treatment of pneumonia with home-based treatment, and the results demonstrate the safety and efficacy of treating it with oral antibiotics outside a hospital setting.Almost four children die from pneumonia every minute in the world.About 60 per cent of pneumonia cases in the developing world are caused by bacteria and can be treated with antibiotics, whereas most cases of pneumonia in developed countries are viral.In the study, there were 87 (8,6 per cent) treatment failures in the hospitalised group, and 77 (7,5 per cent) in the group treated at home.Of the five children (0,2 per cent) who died during the study, four were in the hospitalised group and one was at home.This study confirmed the findings of three other trials in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America, which showed that oral antibiotics were just as effective as intravenous antibiotics in treating hospitalised children with severe pneumonia.The current guidelines advise health workers to provide oral antibiotics for non-severe cases of pneumonia and to refer severe and very severe cases to hospitals for treatment with antibiotics by injection.However, many children with severe pneumonia who are currently referred for admission to a hospital either die before they reach there or are so sick by the time they arrive that nothing more can be done to save them.”In-patient treatment may not be an option for parents who cannot leave their homes to accompany the sick child.In addition, children with severe pneumonia are vulnerable to infections as a result of weak immunity and could be at increased risk in crowded hospital wards,” the report said.It said a community-based approach would bring treatment to people’s homes, so that children with pneumonia can be identified and begin treatment before the onset of life-threatening complications.

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