2023-11-17 14:34:11
The pharmaceutical distributor Cofares warns of excessive consumption of antibiotics in common pathologies such as winter infections that affect the nose, ears and throat, as well as those of the urinary tract and dental pain.
Report from the Cofares Observatory “Antibiotic resistance, a threat to public health?
And warns of this excessive consumption of antibiotics in the latest Cofares Trends Observatory on antibacterial resistance, on the occasion of World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Weekpromoted by the World Health Organization (WHO), which is celebrated from November 18 to 24. In the document he addresses the challenges of the growing threat of bacterial resistance, among other issues.
Pent-up demand has increased by 3%
The report states that around 35,000 people die every year in Europe as a consequence of resistant infections, of which approximately 4,000 happen in Spain.
According to the document, the accumulated demand for antibiotic medications has increased by 3% in unit volume compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Graph from the report on the evolution of antibiotic consumption. Source Cofares.
The communities with the most weight and growth in the demand for these drugs compared to 2022 are Madrid, where it has increased by 7%; the Valencian Community, 8%; and Andalusia, 6%.
Respiratory infection, the most common cause of prescription
The vast majority of antibiotic prescriptions, according to Cofares, are prescribed in Primary Care and are respiratory tract infections (RTI), the most frequent cause of treatment with these drugs.
In fact, Between 44% and 98% of antibiotic prescriptions for these infections are classified as “inappropriate”according to the pharmaceutical distributor, which recalls that Primary Care guidelines recommend restrictive use of these medications.
Up to 80% of winter infections affecting the nose, ears, throat and lungs are viral in origin, including the common cold and flu, which means that The administration of antibiotics “will not lead to a cure”.
In this sense, it indicates that most of the symptoms of these winter pathologies can be alleviated with other drugs that are available in pharmacies without a prescription and not with the consumption of antibiotics:
Painkillers They relieve discomfort, pain and fever.
The anti-inflammatorieslike throat lozenges or sprays, make swallowing easier.
Oral expectorants They help expel secretions from the respiratory tract.
Nasal sprays and decongestants They help you breathe more comfortably.
antihistamines They relieve sneezing, itching and nasal obstruction.
Those of the urinary tract
Urinary tract infections (UTI) are, according to Cofares, lsecond most common cause prescription of antibiotics after respiratory infections.
So much so that the document warns that one in four women with cystitis receives inappropriate antibiotics as treatment.
Chart from the Cofares report.
One of the problems, furthermore, is that some patients develop recurrent episodes of cystitis, which may require long-term prophylaxis.
According to the Cofares report, The recommended duration of antibiotic consumption to treat simple acute cystitis is three days and does not exceed five, since longer periods cause adverse effects.
For this reason, “many international recommendations tend to reduce the duration of antibiotic treatments used in order to mitigate antibacterial resistance.”
Dentistry prescribes 10% of the total
The Cofares Observatory also addresses the “inappropriate magnitude” of prescription in other areas such as dentistry, where antibiotics are the most prescribed drugs. And this despite the fact that they are only indicated for processes in which the patient’s immune defenses are not capable of controlling the infection, or when there is evidence of systemic involvement.
In this area, around 10% of the total consumed are prescribed, and of which In 70% of cases the indications “are not considered appropriate”.
Chart from the Cofares report.
Half of the dentists showed inappropriate antibiotic prescribing habits in more than 28.6% of the clinical situations presented, according to a study with 878 participants carried out with the objective of quantifying the magnitude of the indication by dentists of these drugs, says Cofares.
According to the pharmaceutical distributor, to achieve a “global and effective” change in the fight against antibiotic resistance “it is necessary to transform the knowledge, attitudes and practices of dental professionals and patients”.
For example, the report adds, the prescription of antibiotics should be avoided, and the treatment should be followed as appropriate and the patient monitored in circumstances such as cavities, gingivitis, periodontitis, among others, as long as they are not associated with systemic manifestations (such as fever, lockjaw and lymphadenopathy).
#Poor #consumption #antibiotics #colds #cystitis #dental #pain