A recent review published in the New England Journal of Medicine concluded that antibiotics should not be used as a first line of treatment for acute bronchitis.
The reviewers were two physicians from the University of Virginia Commonwealth. They reviewed all past studies that measured the efficacy of antibiotics on prognosis and outcome in acute bronchitis cases.
On average 75 percent of adults diagnosed with acute bronchitis are given a prescription for antibiotics even though the most common cause is viral. Viral illness is not affected by antibiotics, though the patient may feel that symptoms have decreased in severity.
The reviewers stated three primary reasons for physicians to avoid writing the prescription for antibiotics. They included cost, side effects, and antibiotic resistant bacteria.
This review follows suit with several other studies that found antibiotic prescriptions for ear infections in children should be delayed.
Posted by Dr. Christina Gutierrez on December 12, 2006 04:00 PM
