NATIONAL BRIEFINGNATIONWIDE
More than half a million U.S. children each year have bad reactions or side effects from widely used medicines that require medical treatment and sometimes hospitalization, research shows.
Children younger than 5 are most commonly affected. Penicillin and other prescription antibiotics are among drugs causing the most problems, including rashes, stomachaches and diarrhea.
The study appears in October’s issue of Pediatrics, released today. It’s based on national statistics on patient visits to clinics and emergency rooms between 1995 and 2005.
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