Antibiotics do not reduce the intensity or duration of cough – scientists

Scientists warn against excessive use of antibiotics.

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The use of antibiotics for bacterial infections of the lower respiratory tract does not reduce the intensity or duration of the cough.

Scientists of Georgetown University Medical Center came to this conclusion. Their research is published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, writes Medical Xpress.

In the course of their work, they studied the data of people who sought treatment at primary or emergency medical care facilities.

“Upper respiratory tract infections commonly include colds, sore throats, sinus infections, and ear infections. And the ways to determine whether antibiotics should be used in such cases are well established.” – notes the lead author of the study, Dan Merenstein, MD, professor of family medicine at Georgetown.

According to him, lower respiratory tract infections can potentially be more dangerous: in 3-5% of patients, they cause pneumonia.

“But during the first visit, doctors are not able to take an X-ray for all patients suspected of having a bacterial infection, so they are still often prescribed antibiotics.” – claims the scientist.

The researchers’ analysis found that 29% of people who received an antibiotic during their first visit to the doctor reported no effect on the duration or overall intensity of their cough, compared to those who did not take the antibiotic.

“Physicians likely overestimate the percentage of lower tract infections that are bacterial; they also likely overestimate their ability to distinguish viral from bacterial infections,” says Mark H. Ebell, MD, study author and professor of public health at the University of Georgia.

To determine the presence of an actual bacterial or viral infection beyond the cough, researchers confirmed the presence of pathogens using advanced laboratory tests.

Those with a confirmed bacterial infection had the same duration of illness as those taking the antibiotic, about 17 days.

Scientists warn: excessive use of antibiotics can lead to dizziness, nausea, diarrhea, rashes, etc. Another major concern of antibiotic overuse is resistance.

Earlier, the Ministry of Health named infections that almost do not respond to antibiotics.