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March 2016 | Read this issue and more at www.healthandwellnessmagazine.net |
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INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE
Wise Use of Antibiotics for
Respiratory Illness
By John A.
Patterson MD,
MSPH, FAAFP,
Mind Body Studio
Is it necessary,
or even safe, to use antibiotics for
coughs, colds and other respiratory
illnesses?
Consumers and health care providers are being urged to refine
their conversations to achieve the
goals of good medicine and public
health – making a correct diagnosis,
using antibiotics if the diagnosis
warrants and avoiding the harm to
individuals and the larger population caused by unnecessary antibiotic use.
It is estimated that over 11 million unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions are written in the United
States each year, with roughly 12
percent called in by phone without
an examination. Medical and public
health authorities are sounding the
alarm as antibiotic-resistant infections cause 2 million illnesses and
23,000 deaths in the United States
each year.
Antibiotics can relieve suffering
and save lives, but their overuse
can cause harm – even death. Wise
use of antibiotics is necessary to
preserve their lifesaving potential;
overuse of antibiotics contributes to
the alarming increase in antibiotic
resistance, leading to the emergence
of potentially fatal
“superbugs.” The more
bacteria are exposed
to antibiotics, the
more they develop
resistance to them.
Many bacteria that
were previously susceptible to antibiotics have developed
resistance that makes
them difficult or
impossible to treat.
Medical and public
health authorities
are increasingly
concerned.
The Centers for
Disease Control
and Prevention
(CDC) stresses
the importance
of appropriate
use of antibiotics
and the growing
problem of antibiotic resistance
through its Get
Smart About
Antibiotics
campaign. Wise
antibiotic use is also part
of the Choosing Wisely Campaign,
developed by over 70 medical specialty societies to help providers
and consumers restrict the use of
inappropriate testing and treatment.
Most coughs, colds and upper
respiratory illnesses are caused
Antibiotics can relieve
suffering and save lives, but
their overuse can cause harm
– even death.
by viruses, not bacteria.
Antibiotics kill bacteria, not viruses.
Therefore, it is important to use
scientifically based guidelines and
sound judgment to determine
whether an ear, sinus, throat or
chest condition is caused by bacteria or a virus. While it is not always
possible to distinguish between
viral and bacterial conditions, there
are guidelines that help consumers,
parents and clinicians make wise
choices.
Although the common cold can
make children and adults feel terrible, it is caused by a virus and
does not require an antibiotic.
Health care providers will usually
treat specific symptoms (such as
fever, congestion and body aches)
with rest, saltwater nose drops, a
humidifier and lots of warm liquids. There is little evidence that
over-the-counter cough and cold
medications help children, though
they can cause side effects, including death. Even many childhood ear
infections resolve without antibiotics. Therefore, health care providers
may not initially prescribe antibiotics unless the ear infection persists
or worsens.
Four out of five sore throats
are caused by viruses and do not
require antibiotics. An office test
can determine the likelihood of a
bacterial infection (“strep throat,”
caused by a streptococcus bacteria),
which does require an antibiotic.
The Infectious Diseases Society of