Study finds unusually high rate of inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions in U.S.

05/12/2016 / By D. Samuelson

Antibiotic resistance is a growing global concern for all of us. If even the simplest of infections cannot be defeated by antibiotics, it could result in suffering and death. Even minimal infections have that potential. Knowing this about the deepening concern of resistance, wouldn’t physicians that prescribe those ten day rounds of antibiotics be extra cautious? Maybe not, as reported by EurekAlert.com:

“An estimated 30 percent of outpatient oral antibiotic prescriptions in the U.S. in 2010-2011 may have been inappropriate, findings that support the need for establishing a goal for outpatient antibiotic stewardship, according to a study appearing in the May 3 issue of JAMA.

“… Katherine E. Fleming-Dutra, M.D., of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], Atlanta, and colleagues used the 2010-2011 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey to estimate the rates of outpatient oral antibiotic prescribing by age and diagnosis and the estimated portions of antibiotic use that may be inappropriate in adults and children in the U.S.

“Of the 184,032 sampled visits, 12.6 percent of visits resulted in antibiotic prescriptions. Sinusitis was the diagnosis associated with the most antibiotic prescriptions per 1,000 population (56), followed by suppurative otitis media (ear infection; 47 prescriptions), and pharyngitis (common cause of sore throat; 43 prescriptions). Collectively, acute respiratory conditions per 1,000 population led to 221 antibiotic prescriptions annually, but only 111 antibiotic prescriptions were estimated to be appropriate for these conditions. Per 1,000 population, among all conditions and ages combined in 2010-2011, an estimated 506 antibiotic prescriptions were written annually, and, of these, 353 antibiotic prescriptions were estimated to be appropriate.

“Half of antibiotic prescriptions for acute respiratory conditions may have been unnecessary, representing 34 million antibiotic prescriptions annually. Collectively, across all conditions, an estimated 30 percent of outpatient, oral antibiotic prescriptions may have been inappropriate,” reported by the authors of the study.

If 50% of acute human respiratory antibiotic prescriptions are unnecessary, what about antibiotics in animals?

PBS reports:

“Ranchers and farmers have been feeding antibiotics to the animals we eat since they discovered decades ago that small doses of antibiotics administered daily would make most animals gain as much as 3 percent more weight than they otherwise would.

“… The meat industry doesn’t publicize its use of antibiotics, so accurate information on the amount of antibiotics given to food animals is hard to come by. Stuart B. Levy, M.D., who has studied the subject for years, estimates that there are 15-17 million pounds of antibiotics used sub-therapeutically in the United States each year… There is an increasing amount of evidence suggesting that the sub-therapeutic use of antibiotics in food animals can pose a health risk to humans. If a group of animals is treated with a certain antibiotic over time, the bacteria living in those animals will become resistant to that drug. According to microbiologist Dr. Glenn Morris, the problem for humans is that if a person ingests the resistant bacteria via improperly cooked meat and becomes ill, he or she may not respond to antibiotic treatment.

“Concern about the growing level of drug-resistant bacteria has led to the banning of sub-therapeutic use of antibiotics in meat animals in many countries in the European Union and Canada. In the United States, however, such use is still legal.”

Do physicians want to eat cows fattened up with antibiotics? Do they even know?

Pennies per pound make money at the slaughter house. The over use of antibiotics have been discussed since 2001. So what it is going to take to stop abusing these pharmaceuticals? It’s incumbent upon us to stay as healthy as possible with robust organic foods and medicinal herbs. Use antibiotics sparingly. Educate yourselves, your family and your doctor.