Table 2.
Doxycycline treatment patterns by diagnostic and age groups among outpatients diagnosed with rickettsial diseases in a large, commercially insured population — United States, 2005–2017.
| Doxycycline prescription rates | |
|---|---|
| Outpatients with doxycycline by diagnostic groupa | |
| All | 7,878 (53.1) |
| Spotted fever rickettsioses (n = 7,517) | 4,595 (61.1) |
| Ehrlichiosis (n = 4,571) | 2,476 (54.2) |
| Typhus (n = 1,362) | 328 (24.1) |
| Other rickettsial diseases (n = 1,193) | 415 (34.8) |
| > 1 diagnostic group (n = 187) | 64 (34.2) |
| Outpatients with doxycycline by age groupa | |
| < 8 yrs. (n = 699) | 167 (23.9) |
| 8–17 yrs. (n = 1,475) | 704 (47.7) |
| ≥18 yrs. (n = 12,656) | 7,007 (55.4) |
| Time from index date to prescription (days) | |
| Median (IQR) | 0 (-9–0) |
| n, % of patients with prescription within ± 14 days of index date | 6,520 (82.8) |
| n, % of patients with prescription within ± 7 days of index date | 5,427 (68.9) |
| Characteristics of first doxycycline prescription by age group | |
| < 8 yrs. (n = 167) | |
| Time from index date to prescription (days) | |
| Median (IQR) | 0 (-1–0) |
| n, % of patients with prescription within ± 14 days of index date | 157 (94.0) |
| Days’ supply, median days (IQR) | 10 (7–10) |
| ROA | |
| IV | 0 (0) |
| Oral | 167 (100) |
| Dosing and treatment patterns | |
| 100 mg PO 10 days | 6 (3.6) |
| Suspension PO 10 days | 65 (38.9) |
| 8–17 yrs. (n = 704) | |
| Time from index date to prescription (days) | |
| Median (IQR) | 0 (-3–0) |
| n, % of patients with prescription within ± 14 days of index date | 627 (89.1) |
| Days’ supply, median days (IQR) | 10 (10–14) |
| ROA | |
| IV | 1 (0.1) |
| Oral | 703 (99.9) |
| Dosing and treatment patterns | |
| 100 mg PO 10 days | 442 (62.3) |
| ≥18 yrs. (n = 7,007) | |
| Time from index date to prescription (days) | |
| Median (IQR) | -1 (-10–0) |
| n, % of patients with prescription within ± 14 days of index date | 5,736 (81.9) |
| Days’ supply, median days (IQR) | 14 (10–15) |
| ROA | |
| IV | 3 (0.1) |
| Oral | 7,004 (99.9) |
| Dosing and treatment patterns | |
| 100 mg PO 10 days | 6,028 (86.0) |
Data are presented as No. (%) unless otherwise indicated.
ROA route of administration, IV intravenous, mg milligrams, PO by mouth.
Recommended dosing is 100 mg twice daily for adults or children ≥ 45 kg, and 2.2 mg/kg/dose twice daily for children < 45 kg. Duration of treatment is 5–7 days or at least 3 days after fever subsides or patient shows signs of clinical recovery.
aPercentages reflect the proportion of patients within that diagnostic or age category who received the recommended dosing and duration of doxycycline. Remaining patients either received a non-recommended dosing/duration of doxycycline or no prescription was identified in the database.