19. October 2007 00:51
Antibiotics are not justified to reduce the risk of complications after upper respiratory tract infection, sore throat, or ear infection, finds a study published on bmj.com.
But they do substantially cut the risk of pneumonia after chest infection, particularly in elderly people.
Most antibiotic prescribing is in primary care, and most of it is for common respiratory tract infections. Guidelines advise against the routine use of antibiotics in patients with upper respiratory tract infection, sore throat, and ear infection, but do recommend them for pneumonia.
Although rates of antibiotic prescribing for acute respiratory infections in UK general practice declined by 45% between 1994 and 2000, in 2000 antibiotics were still prescribed to 67% of patients with respiratory infection, including over 90% of those with chest infection, 80% with ear infections, 60% with sore throat, and 47% with upper respiratory tract infections.
On the basis of the evidence in this BMJ study, there seems to be a substantial gap between evidence based guidance and general practitioners' prescribing behaviour, say the authors.
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