Clarithromycin associated rash and arthralgia in a child

Clarithromycin is an oral antimicrobial used increasingly in pediatric bacterial infections. We report a case ofmaculopapular rash and arthralgia following administration of Clarithromyc in for lower respiratory tract infection in a four-year-old female child. On discontinuation of the antibiotic, the child recovered full function of the knee joint within seven days. The causality of the event assessed as per the WHO-UMC system for standardized case causality assessment criteria can be considered as ‘probable’. Analyzed by the Naranjo’s ADR probability scale, the score was 7, which also makes it a ‘probable’ event.