• F Dubos, H Bovet Langlois-Meurinne, V Hue, A Martinot, and Réseau inter-hospitalier d'évaluation des pratiques médicales dans les affections courantes de l'enfant.
• Clinique de pédiatrie, Hôpital Jeanne de Flandre, CHU Lille.
• Presse Med. 2004 Sep 11;33(15):992-6.

BackgroundVaricella, an almost compulsory affection in children, is complicated in 2% of cases. Some treatments such as powders and non-steroidial anti-inflammatories (NSAIs) may favorise or worsen infectious complications.ObjectiveTo assess out-patient prescriptions in children presenting with varicella.MethodsThree methods were used. Collection of the out-patient prescriptions in children (n=122) subsequently presenting with varicella in one of the hospitals in the North of France conducted from January to May 2003. A telephone survey was made among 50 general practitioners in the same area in March 2003. This collected not only the prescription of the last case reported, but also the intended prescriptions when confronted with a simulated case of the disease.ResultsPowders were prescribed in 44 to 54% of cases, NSAIs in 14 to 16%, aspirin in 2 to 4%, and oral acyclovir in 4%. The three assessment methods did not reveal any differences in the prescription of antibiotics, more frequent in the children subsequently visiting the hospital (25 vs. 6%), and the prescriptions of paracetamol. Only 38% of the prescriptions during clinical cases corresponded to the guidelines.ConclusionIt is crucial that practitioners be informed on the treatment of varicella and the risks of severe cutaneous surinfections enhanced by certain prescriptions.

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