Self-Medication Among Children Under 15 Years, At the Teaching Hospitals of Lomé, Togo

Objectives: The present study was aims to identify the causes, the categories of medicines used and the outcomes of self-medication in hospitalized children under 15 years.

Materials and Methods: We conducted a descriptive study from June 18 to July 18, 2016 in two Teaching Hospitals in Lomé. Parents/relatives of inpatient pediatric department were interviewed, using a questionnaire on self-medication. The data was analyzed on the basis of frequencies (%) of parameters investigated.

Results: We interviewed 204 informants. The self-medication prevalence was 85.8% (n=175) and mostly imputed to the mothers. Children’s pathological histories were asthma and sickle cell disease (16.0%). The sources of self-medication drugs were pharmacies (60%), itinerant sellers of medicines (49.7%) and left-over prescribed medicines stored at home (21.1%). Fever (85.1%), headaches (49.7%), abdominal pain (28%), cough and cold (14.3%) and diarrhea (12.6%) were the main symptoms responsible for self-medication. Analgesics and antipyretics were used in 92.6 % of cases. Anti-microbial (antibiotics, antimalarial, and other antiparasitics) was auto-administered in approximately 47.4%. Herbal medicine and other local products represented 41.7%. The outcomes of self-medication in children are multiple, including nausea and/or vomiting (89.7%), anaemia requiring transfusion (39.9%), allergic skin reactions and so on.

Conclusion: Parental self-medication is common in Togolese children. In view of previous outcomes, the use of self-medication for children is a practice that must be controlled and reasoned.

Keywords: Categories of Medicines; Children’s Pathological Histories and Symptoms; Inpatient Pediatric Department; Parental Self-Medication; Self-Medication Outcomes; Togo