EMBARGOED UNTIL 2 p.m. September 16, 1997
Contact: Kristin Schroeder, (303) 315-5571
Excessive Antibiotic Prescribing for Viral Respiratory Illnesses Could Explain Some Drug Resistance Physicians frequently prescribe antibiotics for common viral respiratory illnesses that typically do not benefit from antibiotic therapy, according to an article in tomorrow's issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association. The study, co-authored by Ralph Gonzales, MD, MSPH, assistant professor of medicine, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, could offer insight into the rapidly rising prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In measuring the rates of antibiotic prescriptions in the United States, Dr. Gonzales and colleagues John Steiner, MD, MPH, CU Health Sciences Center, and Merle Sande, MD, University of Utah, found that in 50 to 70 percent of the cases in which patients saw their physicians for colds, upper respiratory tract infections or bronchitis, the physicians prescribed antibiotic drugs to treat the illnesses. Colds, upper respiratory tract infections and bronchitis accounted for more than 12 million antibiotic prescriptions, or 21 percent of all antibiotic prescriptions from physicians in ambulatory practice to adults in 1992. The illnesses that were studied are most commonly caused by viruses and thus do not benefit from antibiotics, which only benefit infections caused by bacteria, according to Dr. Gonzales. When used too frequently, antibiotics can cause bacteria to develop resistance to antibiotic drugs, rendering the drugs useless against any future bacterial infections such as pneumonia or meningitis.
"The emergence of many antibiotic-resistant bacteria in our communities is associated with improper and often unnecessary antibiotic prescribing," Dr. Gonzales said. "In order to avoid returning to the 'pre-antibiotic era,' and severely limiting our treatment options for common and serious bacterial infections, strategies need to be developed to promote and implement judicious antibiotic use by ambulatory physicians." The study's authors also identified factors that increased the likelihood of prescribing an antibiotic to adults who are diagnosed with colds, upper respiratory tract infections or bronchitis. The study found that physician practices located in rural areas of the United States were more likely than practices in urban areas to prescribe antibiotics for these three viral illnesses. Factors that did not affect the rate of antibiotic prescriptions were patient age, gender, race or ethnicity, geographic region, physician specialty and sources of payment. The University of Colorado Health Sciences Center is one of four campuses in the University of Colorado system. Located in Denver, Colo., the campus includes schools of medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and dentistry, a graduate school and two hospitals.
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