Antibiotics Prescribed Unnecessarily for Acute Bronchitis
Reported November 16, 2006
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — When you have bronchitis, chances are your doctor will prescribe an antibiotic. Now researchers say, “Not so fast.”
A new study from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond reveals there is no evidence to support prescribing antibiotics to treat short-term bronchitis because most of the infections are caused by a virus and don’t respond to the drugs.
Researchers analyzed studies and clinical trials on acute bronchitis. They report only a small percentage of the cases are caused by bacteria — which can be treated with antibiotics. Compare that to the large percentage — between 70 percent and 80 percent — of acute bronchitis patients who are prescribed five to 10 days worth of antibiotics.
“As a community of medicine, we have a habit of prescribing a lot of medication,” reports co-author Richard P. Wenzel, M.D. “There are many things we prescribe that are not based on evidence in the literature. Based on our review of the data in the literature, we are not practicing evidence-based medicine when it comes to the treatment of acute bronchitis.”
Researchers add antibiotics can be expensive and can cause side effects such as abdominal pain and diarrhea. They also contribute to the problem of drug resistant bacteria.
The authors conclude physicians should tell their patients there is no evidence to support the use of antibiotics to treat acute bronchitis.
SOURCE: The New England Journal of Medicine, 2006;355:2125-30