#antibiotic overuse

[thoughtlessarse]

Antimicrobial resistance now a leading cause of death worldwide, study finds

Lancet analysis highlights need for urgent action to address antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections

Antimicrobial resistance poses a significant threat to humanity, health leaders have warned, as a study reveals it has become a leading cause of death worldwide and is killing about 3,500 people every day.

More than 1.2 million – and potentially millions more – died in 2019 as a direct result of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections, according to the most comprehensive estimate to date of the global impact of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

The stark analysis covering more than 200 countries and territories was published in the Lancet. It says AMR is killing more people than HIV/Aids or malaria. Many hundreds of thousands of deaths are occurring due to common, previously treatable infections, the study says, because bacteria that cause them have become resistant to treatment...

...The analysis shows AMR was directly responsible for an estimated 1.27million deaths worldwide, and associated with an estimated 4.95 million deaths, in 2019. HIV/Aids and malaria have been estimated to have caused 860,000 and 640,000 deaths, respectively, in 2019.

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[thoughtlessarse]

Indeed, use azithromycin more often can select for more resistant versions of N. gonorrhoeae. Remember earlier this year when some were touting the use azithromycin along with hydroxychloroquine to treat Covid-19? And some political leaders jumped on this bandwagon? This was even before well-constructed and executed clinical studies were done to assess the safety and efficacy of such medications for treating severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) infections. So this was an example of premature medication. Since then clinical studies have not found enough evidence to support such use

Super Gonorrhea May Be Spreading From Antibiotic Overuse For Covid-19 Coronavirus

[sallygcronin]

Smorgasbord Health Column - Candida Albicans - Part One -The opportunistic pathogen

Smorgasbord Health Column – Candida Albicans – Part One -The opportunistic pathogen

It is not possible to do a series on the digestive system without spending time covering our intestines and the delicate balance of bacteria that populate it. More and more research is showing that an imbalance has a profound effect on our overall physical and mental health. There are many diseases that have their root cause in the gut brain of our body.

You can find last week’s five posts on…

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[ibhomeremedies-blog]

Is it too late? Reducing and managing the use of antibiotics won't be enough to reverse resistance

Is it too late? Reducing and managing the use of antibiotics won’t be enough to reverse resistance

Duke University published a fascinating study on the futility of current antibioticsin the fight against mutating pathogens.

Abuse of selective antibiotics has accelerated the evolution of bacteria. The bacteria survive by passing on resistant traits to their offspring. To combat the resistance, some medical researchers have proposed that we as a society reduce antibiotic use to slow down the…

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[ibhomeremedies-blog]

Antibiotic overuse kills thousands each year: Authorities urge people to just stay home and rest when ill

(Health News) Whenever we come down with a cough or a sore throat, we often take some antibiotics so we don’t have to skip a day of work. But did you know that antibiotic overuse causes an estimated 5,000 deaths yearly?

According to the Daily Mail, National Health Service (NHS) patients are advised to refrain from asking their General Practitioner (GP) for antibiotics. Instead of taking…

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[wayfaringmd]

hey i have a question about the ppl who continue to ask for antibiotics where they aren't needed: if antibiotics don't to anything (for example against viruses) why do people keep asking for them? like don't they see that they're not helping (and might even make it worse like give you colon problems or something) or do they help them in some other way? hope i don't sound too stupid lmao

They ask for them for several reasons:

Simple ignorance of how antibiotics and viruses work. Americans are terrible at science.

They feel miserable and want to try anything that they think might work.

Sick feels like sick. Lots of folks can’t tell the difference between consolidative pneumonia sick and flu sick. It all feels like crap.

They took an antibiotic once at the end of a viral illness and they correlated getting better with taking the antibiotic rather than with the natural course of viral infections. In reality the antibiotic just distracted them long enough for their immune system to do its job against their virus.

Doctors give out unnecessary antibiotics to make people happy and have now made people think they need them all the time. Also we doctors can be spineless people-pleasing, lawsuit-fearing wimps who don’t think we have the time to take 3 minutes to explain why the antibiotics are unnecessary.

People are afraid of getting sicker (especially my little old ladies) and potentially ending up in the hospital.

They haven’t been educated enough on the dangers of antibiotic over-use.

We live in an instant gratification world and people expect their medicine to work quickly too. So when their cough doesn’t immediately get better after one dose of Nyquil, they must need a “big gun”.

[pa-c]

Medical director of our urgent care sees my patient and gives amoxicillin to treat serous otitis media

To clarify for those unfamiliar with this term: a serous (not a typo) effusion is clear fluid behind the ear drum that is not infected. A suppurative or purulent effusion would be infected, and might (might!) need antibiotics.  

[newstfionline]

Doctors Urged to Curb Overuse of Antibiotics During Cold, Flu Seasons

Associated Press, January 19, 2016

WASHINGTON--It’s cold season, and the miserable continue to trudge in, seeking antibiotics because of mucus turned green, or a cough that has nagged for weeks.

Despite years of warnings, doctors still overprescribe antibiotics for acute respiratory infections even though most are caused by viruses that those drugs cannot help.

Now doctors are getting new tips on how to avoid unnecessary antibiotics for these common complaints--and to withstand the patient who’s demanding one.

Sure bronchitis sounds scary. So describe it as a chest cold. And no, color changes don’t mean it’s time for an antibiotic.

“Antibiotics are terrific. Thank God we have them for really bad things. But we need to be judicious in the way we use them,” said American College of Physicians President Dr. Wayne J. Riley, an internal medicine professor at Vanderbilt University.

Rather than sending patients off with little advice about what to do while their bodies fight off a virus, how about a prescription instead for some over-the-counter or home remedies that just might ease the cough or the pain?

“We’re calling for the symptomatic prescription pad,” Riley said, describing information sheets that suggest simple aids like humidifiers and plenty of fluid, have a space to scribble directions for an OTC drug--and tell patients when to return if they’re not getting better. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a sample on its website.

Antibiotics are losing their effectiveness, and inappropriate prescribing is one factor. Repeated exposure can lead germs to become resistant to the drugs. The CDC estimates that drug-resistant bacteria cause 2 million illnesses and 23,000 deaths each year in the U.S.

Another reason not to use them unnecessarily: side effects. Antibiotics are implicated in 1 of 5 emergency-room visits for bad drug reactions, CDC says. Particularly troubling is an increase in severe diarrhea caused by C-diff, the Clostridium difficile bug that can take hold in the gut after antibiotics kill off other bacteria.