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Nearly half of pediatric ED visits for adverse drug events are antibiotic related. From 2011 to 2015, about 69,500 ED visits a year were for an antibiotic-related adverse drug event in children ages 19 years and younger, with younger children disproportionately affected, according to a study published online on August 23 in the Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society. The most common antibiotic-related adverse event was an allergic reaction, accounting for 86.1% of visits. Oral penicillins were responsible for 55.7% of antibiotic-related visits, followed by oral cephalosporins (11.9%), sulfonamides (11.1%), and macrolides (7.6%). Almost 41% of visits for antibiotic-related adverse reactions were for children ages two years and younger. This type of information about adverse drug events can help clinicians, parents, and caregivers "weigh the risks and benefits of antibiotic treatment," the authors noted.