Why Antibiotic No Better For Coughs, Uncomplicated Chest Infections
So this is very intrusting study which shows that Why Antibiotic No Better for Coughs. This means when we are using them we did not get any benefits. Before we see this news research let us see what are Antibiotic.
What are Antibiotics?
Antibiotics are powerful medicines that are mostly used to treat infections caused by bacteria. These are known as anti-bacterial drugs. These drugs cannot fight viruses; there is a special class of medicines called antivirals that specifically fight infections caused by viruses. There are many classes of antibiotics, each designed to be effective against specific types of bacteria. When an antibiotic is needed to fight a bacterial infection, the correct antibiotic is needed to kill the disease-producing bacteria.
How can I tell if an illness is caused by a virus or bacteria?
The symptoms of viral infections are often the same as those caused by bacterial infections.
But it is important that your doctor or health care provider decide if a virus or bacteria is causing the infection.
Sometimes diagnostic tests are needed.
If an infection is caused by a virus, what can be done to relieve the symptoms?
An antibiotic will not work.
You need lots of extra rest.
Drink plenty of fluids (especially water) and eat healthy foods.
Some over-the-counter medications may help while your body is fighting the virus:
Acetaminophen* may help for muscle aches or fever.
Decongestants* may help if you have a stuffy nose.
Cough syrup* may relieve cough symptoms.
Throat lozenges (for older children and adults only) can ease a sore throat.
Ask your doctor about topical analgesic eardrops for ear pain.
Follow package directions for age & dose or your health care providers’ instructions.
A cool mist vaporizer may help too.
Keep your home smoke-free
New Research-Antibiotic No Better For Coughs, Uncomplicated Chest Infections
Amoxicillin, the antibiotic doctors often prescribe for persistent coughs caused by uncomplicated chest infections such as bronchitis, is no more effective at easing symptoms than no medication at all, even in older patients. This was the finding of the largest randomised placebo controlled trial of antibiotics for lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) done to date. The study, which was led by the University of Southampton in the UK, is from the GRACE (Genomics to Combat Resistance against Antibiotics in Community-acquired LRTI in Europe) consortium and was funded by the European Community's Sixth Framework Programme. A paper on the findings appears in the 19 December online issue of The Lancet Infectious Diseases. First author Paul Little, Professor of Primary Care Research at Southampton, says in a statement:
"Patients given amoxicillin don't recover much quicker or have significantly fewer symptoms. “In fact, he adds, using amoxicillin to treat patients with respiratory infections who don't have pneumonia could not only be ineffective, but might actually harm them. "Overuse of antibiotics, which is dominated by primary care prescribing, particularly when they are ineffective, can lead to side effects such as diarrhea, rash, vomiting and the development of resistance," he explains. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) recently put out a statement saying that antibiotic resistance remains a major threat to public health around the world, and for the large part, the cause is misuse of antibiotics. Chest infections, also known as lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI), are one of the most common acute illnesses treated in primary care settings in developed countries. There is a lot of controversy about whether LRTI, especially in older people, should be treated with antibiotics, especially since viruses are thought to cause most of them, and previous studies have shown inconsistent results.
A recent study presented at CHEST 2012, the annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians, also suggests antibiotics are not successful in treating cough due to the common cold in children. For this latest GRACE study, the researchers recruited 2,061 adults attending primary care practices with straightforward mild chest infections. The practices were located in 12 European countries: England, Wales, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Sweden, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Slovenia, and Slovakia.
The participants were randomly assigned to be prescribed either amoxicillin or a placebo, to be taken three times a day for seven days.
However, the question remains, he says, of whether this "one-size-fits-all approach can be further improved". He suggests perhaps one way to avoid the "toxic effects and costs" of antibiotics and "the development of resistance in the other patients", is to test for "specific blood biomarkers of bacterial infection", so as to "identify the few individuals who will benefit from antibiotics despite the apparent absence of pneumonia".
(Source- CHEST 2012)
