Are French children taking too much medication? It would seem according to this study

According to an alarming study by Inserm, children under the age of six are prescribed too many drugs in France.

Are we prescribing too many drugs for our children in France? It seems so, especially those under the age of six. According to a press release from the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM), published Monday July 12, “France is one of the most prescribing countries for outpatient pediatric drugs”, outside the hospital, although care should be taken in making these comparisons, as “health systems and drug reimbursement policies differ between countries.

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Published in the journal The Lancet Regional Health Europe, the study is based on prescriptions made in 2018-2019, compared to 2010-2011, on the basis of reimbursement data by Social Security. The findings are worrying. “Younger children are particularly vulnerable to the short and long term side effects of drugs. In addition, the safety profile of many drugs used in pediatrics is only partially known ”, adds the research institute. Dr Marion Taine, co-author of the study, cited in the press release, indicates, for her part, that “These worrying results require detailed analyzes to better target future training campaigns (in order to) optimize the use of medicines in pediatrics.”

What drugs are we talking about?

To achieve such results, the study was based on reimbursed drugs prescribed to people under 18, excluding hospitalizations, by a doctor, a midwife or a dentist. In total, for 2018-2019, more than 230 million drug dispensations were analyzed. Over this period, “On average, 86 out of 100 children under the age of 18 were exposed to at least one drug prescription during a year”, ie “an increase of 4% compared to 2010-2011”, according to Inserm. “Children under six were the category of children most exposed to drugs with more than 97 out of 100 children affected over a year”, continues the research institute.

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Video by Marine Hamelin

The families of drugs most prescribed for minors are analgesics (64%), antibiotics (40%), nasal corticosteroids (33%), vitamin D (30%), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (24 %), antihistamines (25%) and oral corticosteroids (21%).

Barbara ejenguele

A journalism student, Barbara is currently doing a work-study master’s degree and writes on parenthood for the Aufeminin Maman, Parole de Mamans and Avis de Mamans websites. She is also …