Discrepancy in antibiotic prescription for atopic dermatitis exacerbation between ethnic groups

In a previous retrospective inpatient study that spanned over 14 years, we learned that 40% (70 of 174) of pediatric AD admissions were due solely to AD exacerbation, rather than to infectious complications associated with AD such as cellulitis, skin abscess, bacteremia, or osteomyelitis.4 Lack of overt infection in the AD exacerbation group was supported by both clinical and laboratory features including significantly shorter length of stay and lower serum C-reactive protein, as compared with the group with infectious complications. [...]our study showed that Hispanic children who were hospitalized for AD exacerbation were less likely than non-Hispanic children to receive antibiotics. Characteristic % Patients % Antibiotic prescribed P Total 100% (70 of 70) 80% (56 of 70) Sex .529∗ Male 70% (49 of 70) 77.55% (38 of 49) Female 30% (21 of 70) 85.71% (18 of 21) Ethnicity .022† Hispanic 44.29% (31 of 70) 67.74% (21 of 31) Non-Hispanic 55.71% (39 of 70) 89.74% (35 of 39) Race .117∗ Hispanic 44.29% (31 of 70) 67.74% (21 of 31) White 12.86% (9 of 70) 100% (9 of 9) Black 18.57% (13 of 70) 92.3% (12 of 13) Asian 24.29% (17 of 70) 82.35% (14 of 17) Language .999∗ English 84.84% (28 of 33) 85.71% (24 of 28) Non-English 15.15% (5 of 33) 80% (4 of 5) Parental education .999∗ Less than high school 12.12% (4 of 33) 100% (4 of 4) High school and above 87.87% (29 of 33) 82.75% (24 of 29) Table I Patients' demographic characteristics and antibiotic prescription status for 70 pediatric patients admitted for AD exacerbation