In a recent study that researchers evaluated the effect of antibiotic use on survival in over 2,100 patients in a Norwegian hospital between 2017 and 2021. They discovered that administering antibiotics to adults with common respiratory infections was unlikely to reduce the chance of death within 30 days.

During the pandemic, antibiotics were given to 70% of COVID-19 patients, which potentially contributed to the plague of antibiotic-resistant organisms known as superbugs.

During their hospital stay, 63% of the 2,111 patients tested positive for viral illnesses such as the flu, RSV, or COVID-19 via nasal or throat swab and received antibiotics for respiratory infections. Individuals with proven bacterial illnesses were not included in the study.

Only 22 of the 168 patients who died within 30 days had not taken antibiotics. Individuals with proven bacterial illnesses were not included in the study.

After controlling for factors such as gender, age, disease severity, and underlying illnesses, the researchers discovered that patients who were administered antibiotics during their hospital stay were twice as likely to die within 30 days as those who were not.

The researchers discovered that sicker individuals and those with more underlying illnesses were more likely to receive antibiotics and die. They speculated that other factors, such as patients smoking habits, could have also had a role.

Experts believe it is vital to establish whether or not individuals admitted to the hospital with common respiratory illnesses should be given antibiotics. The study will be presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases in Copenhagen next month.

(Source: https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/antibiotics-may-not-help-survival-patients-hospitalized-with-viral-infections-2023-03-24/)