A study from Cardiff University in the United Kingdom, published on September 23 in the scientific journal The British Medical Journal, estimated that a prescription ofantibiotics in 10 between 1991 and 2012 had failed to cure the infection in patients.
The scientists behind the study analyzed nearly 11 million treatments prescribed for various infections and had access to the final results of such treatments on the affected patients.
They were then able to observe that the proportion of failure of antibiotic treatment prescribed by the general practitioner had increased from 13.9% in 1991 to 15.4% of failure in 2012, while the prescription of antibiotics increased. From 2002 to 2012, researchers showed that the proportion of infections treated with antibiotics increased from 60% to 65%. The study therefore showed a direct link between an increase in the prescription of antibiotics and the failure of such treatment.
If the figures are less alarming than what specialists thought, they still call for caution and moderation.
“Given the lack of development of new antibiotic treatments, the growing ineffectiveness of antibiotics prescribed in first-line care is very worrying,” said Professor Craig Currie, co-author of the study. “There is a misconception that the resistance of bacteria to antibiotics is only a danger to hospitalized patients. But the recent use of antibiotics in primary care is the most important risk factor for infection with a resistant organism. In addition, what happens during primary care by the attending physician also impacts hospital care, and vice versa. “
“We need to make sure that patients receive the appropriate treatment, suited to their condition, and minimize the unnecessary treatments or inappropriate that can fuel a resistance, prolong the disease or even kill in some cases ”concluded the researcher.
