Classes of medications prescribed to malnourished children and their relationship with time to recovery.

Medication classifications prescribed most often were related to common comorbidities of malnutrition and illnesses affecting children in Guatemala, such as respiratory and diarrheal diseases. The medication used in cases with a time-to-recovery of ≥6 weeks suggest these cases may have had more comorbidities, which could explain the longer recovery times. Caution is suggested in routine prophylactic antibiotic use in public health settings, given the lack of association with improved recovery times, the potential for antibiotic drug resistance, and the negative effects on renal function among children.