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Article: Principles of dosing in young children.(Clinical pharmacology)(Report)
- Article from:
- CME: Your SA Journal of CPD
- Article date:
- April 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 South African Medical Association. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Several drugs that are marketed and prescribed are not registered for use in children owing to a limited number of pharmacokinetic studies done in infants and children. Drug doses are usually derived from studies in adults. However, the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of drugs in children are different from those in adults due to the impact of development physiology. Age-based dosing results in errors due to variability in the weight and lean body mass of children of the same age. In this article we discuss the effect of developmental changes in young children on drug absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion which form the basis for recommended dose ...