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Table 2 Most commonly used medicines according to age group and prevalence of medicine use per 1000 person-years for 2019–2020

From: Analysis of the potential inappropriate use of medications in pediatric outpatients in China

medication

ATC-code

Age group (years)

All children

< 2 years

2–5 years

6–11 years

12–17 years

 

2019

2020

2019

2020

2019

2020

2019

2020

2019

2020

Rate ratio (95% CI)a

AIA

 

1.15

3.32

5.38

12.77

26.1

67.84

34.62

40.33

16.32

35.32

2.164(2.069–2.264)

leuprorelin

L02AE02

0.03

0

0.12

0.27

9.48

36.13

1.94

4.5

3.21

12.18

3.793(3.460–4.159)

ATM

 

126.75

103.38

114.58

112.46

138.94

160.35

370.08

356.8

171.96

188.7

1.097(1.081–1.114)

glycyrrhizin

*

5.71

6.04

10.92

11.71

27.65

36.61

46.43

50.26

21.71

28.44

1.310(1.253–1.369)

lansoprazole

A02BC03

0.09

0

0.07

0.03

0.76

0.37

25.87

33.98

5.15

8.87

1.723(1.582–1.876)

pantoprazole

A02BC02

0.09

0

0.08

0.03

2.75

0.51

24.62

11.02

5.5

3

0.545(0.483–0.614)

polyene phosphatidylcholine

*

0.03

0

0.07

0.14

1.56

0.7

18.59

25.94

4

6.93

1.734(1.574–1.910)

vitamin B6

A11HA02

21.37

14.47

15.4

9.08

12.45

5.82

11

5.29

14.66

7.81

0.533(0.495–0.573)

vitamin C

A11GA01

29.56

19.38

21.85

12.72

17.09

7.88

12.07

5.59

19.84

10.27

0.518(0.486–0.552)

BLD

 

20.22

16.32

21.24

33.47

31.4

29.99

133.5

119.94

45.26

52.48

1.159(1.124–1.196)

alanyl glutamine

B05XB02

0

0

0.04

0

1.33

0.51

23.77

27.36

4.89

7.2

1.471(1.343–1.612)

mecobalamin

B03BA05

1.24

3.92

2.69

21.85

5.57

10.3

15.25

15.62

5.67

14.45

2.546(2.364–2.742)

CVS

 

22.64

14.86

11.66

12.14

25.75

21.05

73.82

64.85

29.32

28.76

0.981(0.941–1.022)

DRM

 

101.4

132.04

91.97

115.79

160.27

180.64

230.11

301.05

139.72

185.2

1.326(1.304–1.347)

calamine lotion

*

28.53

33.91

19.06

20.54

13.39

13.51

2.93

3.04

15.87

15.62

0.984(0.930–1.042)

fusidic acid

D06AX01

0.51

5.84

0.51

4.24

0.94

6.22

5.44

32.56

1.57

12.33

7.862(6.968–8.870)

selenium sulfide

D01AE13

0.06

0.66

0.04

0.93

0.27

5.74

0.83

22.56

0.26

7.92

30.581(23.189–40.330)

tacrolimus

D11AH01

2.21

3.38

6.53

10.75

14.04

22.62

16.6

22.04

9.95

16.3

1.639(1.541–1.744)

GEN

 

6.29

4.71

1.81

1.89

3.73

3.71

24.31

19.88

7.35

7.44

1.012(0.932–1.100)

HRM

 

100.31

68.21

132.17

88.99

116.74

78.36

94.59

87.05

115.37

82.61

0.716(0.700–0.732) b

dexamethasone

H02AB02

84.5

55.08

115.48

68.13

81.81

38.52

34.41

25.51

85.23

46.52

0.546(0.530–0.562)

prednisone

H02AB15

5.17

5.77

7.07

10.2

12.17

16.01

20.2

23.13

10.74

14.72

1.370(1.287–1.459)

INF

 

407.43

334.62

441.96

347.49

349.05

225.77

218.64

185.25

366.82

267.22

0.728(0.720–0.737) b

azithromycin

J01FA10

34.42

27.94

66.9

43.16

52.01

23.92

9.68

7.08

46.45

26.09

0.562(0.540–0.585)

cefaclor

J01DC04

114.51

115.59

68.86

55.44

18.03

15.28

10.1

1.85

50.15

37.21

0.742(0.717–0.768)

cefazolin

J01DB04

16.74

26.94

16.82

25.84

12.91

13.87

9.97

6.85

14.36

17.47

1.217(1.150–1.287)

cefdinir

J01DD15

6.62

7.1

13.94

21.74

12.58

18.57

6.71

7.58

10.99

15.26

1.389(1.305–1.477)

cefixime

J01DD08

11.61

11.15

52.31

47.31

83.82

62.94

36.74

36.63

52.08

44.65

0.857(0.830–0.886)

cefmetazole

J01DC09

11.54

36.63

16.45

51.31

11.12

33.96

1.27

7.58

11.22

32.91

2.934(2.788–3.088)

ceftriaxone

J01DD04

92.78

68.75

81.88

68.37

45.86

27.04

17.81

11.12

60.92

41.17

0.676(0.645–0.698)

cefuroxime

J01DC02

44.91

0

71.45

0

58.76

0

13.39

0

52.45

0

 

immunoglobulins

J06BA02

30.59

15.53

7.84

3.5

4.94

1.27

3.81

1.49

9.9

3.85

0.389(0.351–0.430)

minocycline

J01AA08

0

0.13

0.01

0.08

0.15

0.28

18.38

21.94

3.52

5.78

1.641(1.478–1.822)

MSK

 

1.90

23.22

3.64

21.47

12.06

19.86

32.16

52.38

11.23

29.17

2.598(2.465–2.738)-54)

ibuprofen

M01AE01

1.42

22.43

2.85

19.28

8.25

9.88

5.64

2.02

4.74

12.39

2.614(2.411–2.835)

NRV

 

194.33

288.77

197.95

232.41

289.84

335.31

405.66

420.76

263.68

319.28

1.211(1.198–1.224)

aripiprazole

N05AX12

0.06

0

1.39

2.57

22.49

33.57

19.06

19.98

10.73

16.11

1.501(1.412–1.595)

chloral hydrate

N05CC01

69.45

114.73

40.93

58.17

10.46

13.79

3.06

2.71

29.4

37.72

1.283(1.235–1.333)

clonazepam

N03AE01

8.16

0

20.99

0

39.48

0

20.64

0

24.3

0

 

idebenone

N06BX13

5.29

6.04

11.33

13.37

18.28

27.83

45.36

59.79

18.83

28.76

1.527(1.459–1.599)

levetiracetam

N03AX14

0.27

9.42

4.94

17.39

25.66

31.96

17.32

20.81

12.63

21.66

1.715(1.625–1.811)

nalmefene

N07BB05

0

0

0.19

0.03

2.01

0.62

22.53

17.6

4.91

4.73

0.962(0.868–1.067)

nitrazepam

N05CD03

0

31.65

0

11.65

0

10.16

0

2.68

0

11.46

 

olanzapine

N05AH03

0.06

0.07

0.06

0.11

0.55

0.76

23.46

12.77

4.62

3.56

0.771(0.687–0.865)

oxcarbazepine

N03AF02

12.51

22.63

15.14

25.46

22.33

33.76

19.42

24.78

17.64

27.44

1.555(1.484–1.630)

paracetamol

N02BE01

50.53

46.05

32.34

15.59

15.2

4.36

7.9

0.43

25.61

12.2

0.476(0.449–0.505)

sertraline

N06AB06

0.03

0

0.07

0.05

1.62

2.59

57.59

48.44

11.38

13.27

1.166(1.094–1.243)

valproic acid

N03AG01

10.34

15.99

23.15

35.72

40.71

52.95

31.36

31.37

27.8

37.28

1.341(1.290–1.394)

RES

 

522.09

428.77

454.32

454.78

326.24

241.87

201.94

139.72

379.86

305.88

0.805(0.797–0.814)b

ambroxol

R05CB06

110.98

64.37

98.83

63.45

50.29

22.43

9.48

8.93

69.6

37.11

0.533(0.516–0.551)

budesonide

R03BA02

105.72

85.2

81.75

80.48

48.65

58.11

30.16

36.26

66.12

62.93

0.952(0.926–0.978)

cineole with limonene and α-pinene

*

0.12

0.13

0.81

0.33

15.58

12.92

30.92

24.05

10.74

10.22

0.952(0.888–1.021)

desloratadine

R06AX27

0.18

0.93

0.73

3.86

0.85

14.38

1.84

20.48

0.88

10.95

12.373(10.592–14.454)

loratadine

R06AX13

19.34

31.39

35.43

68.84

26.39

28.33

9.5

8.27

25.26

36.18

1.432(1.376–1.490)

mometasone

R03BA07

3.66

3.12

40.5

48.84

47.88

35.12

24.91

11.32

33.77

29.16

0.863(0.829–0.899)

montelukast

R03DC03

15.5

10.68

46.47

54.07

29.39

20.99

12.95

8.73

30.09

26.81

0.891(0.854–0.930)

terbutaline

R03AC03

86.83

64.37

68.32

67.61

29.77

24.93

4.69

2.61

47.93

37.54

0.783(0.756–0.811)

ying’er zhike mixture

*

143.35

140.81

31.62

33.97

3.13

2.87

0.57

0.46

35.42

29.64

0.837(0.804–0.871)

SNS

 

42.61

54.54

40.38

73.92

51.1

127.29

48.52

109.28

45.44

96.7

2.128(2.072–2.185)

TCM

 

329.12

241.66

381.31

279.61

291.81

187.37

250.38

234.35

321.75

235.16

0.731(0.722–0.740) b

dehydroandrographolide succinate

*

150.27

84.14

163.7

93.29

107.3

43.73

16.6

11.05

117.11

55.94

0.478(0.465–0.490)

feilike mixture

*

13.6

17.65

51.17

53.41

37.59

26.25

5.36

4.53

32.44

28.02

0.864(0.829–0.900)

lanqin oral solution

*

11.58

0

19.77

0

20.39

0

7.48

0

16.3

0

 

tanshinone capsule

*

0.03

0

0.1

0.22

1.38

2.34

22.14

33.88

4.62

9.5

2.054(1.884–2.239)

xiao’er chaigui tuire granule

*

54.4

54.21

32.4

21.8

15.1

7.15

1.55

1.36

25.03

16.26

0.650(0.617–0.684)

Xiao’er feire kechuan oral solution

*

12.51

0

25.24

0

10.21

0

0.83

0

14.14

0

 

xiao’er qingqiao granule

*

41.77

45.99

46.41

61.34

29.5

32.13

3.03

5.06

32.48

36.04

1.110(1.068–1.152)

Others

 

5.92

14

12.86

24.34

26.1

46.99

108.7

118.08

33.73

54

1.601(1.548–1.655)

  1. a Prevalence rate ratio of medications for children in 2020 compared with 2019
  2. b p < 0.001
  3. * Not registered in ATC 2021