Purulent tonsillitis to urinary tract infection: Sometimes only antibiotics help.
But the number of multi-resistant pathogens is growing, which is why the following rule should apply.
For decades it was said that the whole box of the antibiotic prescribed by the doctor had to be used up - even if one was feeling better for a long time.
The reason for this was the fear that if the drug was taken too short, antibiotic resistance * could develop, which could have life-threatening consequences.
Because when antibiotics no longer work, medical professionals have little or no other treatment options for some diseases.
You should therefore know the following intake recommendations
.
In 2015 the World Health Organization (WHO) still pleaded: “Always take the entire contents of the antibiotic pack, even if you feel better.
A premature discontinuation of the treatment promotes the increase of drug-resistant bacteria. ”But as early as 2017, such a recommendation was no longer on the part of the WHO, as the Ärzteblatt reported.
The reason for this are study results from the past few years, which come to the conclusion
that shorter antibiotic therapies have the same effect in many infections or are even superior to the previous standards
.
For example, one study showed that, in the case of pneumonia, five-day antibiotic treatment has the same effect as ten-day therapy.
What does that mean in practice?
Only the attending physician can decide whether and which antibiotic can be used.
These drugs are only effective against bacterial infections and have no effect on viral diseases such as flu or measles.
The duration of the treatment is also always at the discretion of the attending physician.
Whereby according to the current state of knowledge with regard to the intake of antibiotics, according to the assessment of the Ärzteblatt, the rule should always apply: "
As long as necessary, as short as possible
".
Against resistance: the less often antibiotics are prescribed, the better
In order to prevent the formation of antibiotic resistance, studies show that only reducing it is successful.
According to the Ärzteblatt, a large number of studies in recent years have shown that a reduction in the use of antibiotics has led to a decrease in the rate of resistant bacteria.
The problem is that every single dose of antibiotics that you take in the form of tablets, for example, promotes the development of resistant germs.
The patient information portal as a service of the Medical Center for Quality in Medicine (ÄZQ) on behalf of the German Medical Association and National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians therefore appeals to citizens: “The emergence of resistance can be slowed down: Infections can be avoided through hygiene rules such as hand washing.
The fewer infections there are, the fewer antibiotics are needed.
If your doctor prescribes an antibiotic, use it as prescribed ”.
(jg) * Merkur.de belongs to the Germany-wide Ippen-Digital editorial network
.
More sources: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27455166/
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