Intestinal parasites continue to be a public health problem in low- and middle-income countries. Broad use of anthelmintics during deworming programs is still necessary in many regions. However, description of the usage of these medications in general medical practice has been limited. The objective of this study was to determine the use of anthelmintic drugs and their indications in a group of Colombian patients. This was a descriptive study from a drug-dispensing database, identifying patients with prescriptions for anthelmintic drugs. A total of 381 cases were randomly selected, and their medical records were reviewed, analyzing sociodemographic, clinical, and pharmacological variables (indication of use). The lack of diagnosis registration or clinical manifestations of parasites was determined as a prescription without indication. In total, 50.9% (n = 194) of patients were female, and 67.4% of all patients were under 18 yr of age. The diagnosis of helminthiases was clearly stated in 114 (29.9%) patients, and only 4.2% (n = 16) of these had microbiological confirmation. The most commonly used anthelmintic drug was albendazole (70.4% of all prescriptions). The use of anthelmintics was not indicated in 266 cases (69.8%). Nutritional supplements or vitamin prescriptions were associated with using anthelmintics without indication (odds ratio: 2.25; 95% confidence interval: 1.26–4.03). A high proportion of patients lacked symptoms or diagnoses in their clinical records that supported the use of anthelmintic drugs.

肠道寄生虫仍然是低收入和中等收入国家的一个公共卫生问题。在许多地区，驱虫计划中仍然需要广泛使用驱虫药。然而，对这些药物在一般医疗实践中的使用的描述是有限的。本研究的目的是确定哥伦比亚患者群体中驱虫药的使用情况及其适应症。这是一项来自药物配药数据库的描述性研究，识别持有驱虫药处方的患者。总共随机选择了 381 例患者，审查了他们的病历，分析了社会人口统计学、临床和药理学变量（使用指征）。缺乏诊断登记或者寄生虫临床表现的，判定为无适应症处方。总共 50.9% (n = 194) 的患者为女性，67.4% 的患者年龄在 18 岁以下。114 名 (29.9%) 患者明确诊断为蠕虫病，其中只有 4.2% (n = 16) 得到微生物学证实。最常用的驱虫药是阿苯达唑（占所有处方的 70.4%）。266 例（69.8%）未表明使用驱虫药。营养补充剂或维生素处方与无指征的驱虫药的使用相关（比值比：2.25；95% 置信区间：1.26–4.03）。很大一部分患者的临床记录中缺乏支持使用驱虫药的症状或诊断。