Abstract:

Background: Tonsillitis is inflammation of the tonsils, two oval-shaped pads of tissue at the back of the throat, one tonsil on each side, it can be acute or chronic. Acute tonsillitis is an inflammation of tonsils that frequently occurs in combination with an inflammation of the pharynx (tonsillopharyngitis) and includes cases where symptoms last anywhere from three days to about two weeks, it is particularly common in children and young adults.

Broad objective: To evaluate antibiotic prescribing patterns for the treatment of acute tonsillitis at Bugando Medical Centre, Mwanza.

Methodology: It was retrospective study which evolved children age 2-12 years of age who were diagnosed with acute tonsillitis from September 2018 to June 2020. The study was conducted at Bugando Medical Centre (BMC), Mwanza, and a total of 140 patient electronic records were sampled after meeting the inclusion criteria, Data were collected by using data collection sheet to obtain the information from the available files.

Results and Discussion: During this study four types of antibiotics were prescribed Augmentin (Amoxicillin/Clavulanic acid) 82 (58.6%), Azithromycin 10 (7.1%), Ampiclox 1 (0.7%) and Cefixine 1 (0.7). The commonest antibiotic prescribed in Fixed Drug Combination (FDC) was Augmentin (Amoxicillin/Clavulanate), 58.6%. Followed by single antibiotic prescription Azithromycin 10 (7.1%).

Conclusion: The study noted irrational prescribing pattern of antibiotic to patient with acute tonsillitis, with no swab culture and drug sensitivity before patient prescription which may to lead antimicrobial drug resistance. Therefore the use of antibiotic for the treatment of acute tonsillitis is evidently inappropriate until the disease is laboratory proven to be caused by bacteria.