- Researchers at Kings College London studied 4million patients in UK
- Surgeries giving fewest pills did not have higher rates of serious illness
- Patients were far less likely to suffer common but unpleasant side effects
Sophie Borland Health Editor For The Daily Mail
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Slashing antibiotic prescriptions does not put patients at any greater risk of deadly infections, research shows.
The study of 4 million patients found that surgeries which doled out the fewest pills did not have any higher rates of meningitis or other serious illnesses.
Researchers at Kings College London also found that – unsurprisingly – patients were far less likely to suffer common but unpleasant side effects from antibiotics including sickness and rashes.
Slashing antibiotic prescriptions does not put patients at any greater risk of deadly infections, research shows (stock image)
Their findings will add to calls for GPs to slash prescriptions over concerns they are fuelling a rise of deadly superbugs.
The pills have been so widely used over the decades that the bacteria they are meant to treat have evolved to become immune.
Experts including the Chief Medical Officer Dame Sally Davies have warned that the crisis will soon lead to patients developing deadly untreatable infections from scratches and minor operations.
Recently, GPs have been issued with strict guidelines telling them not to hand out pills for coughs and colds while patients are being told not to be too pushy.
Today’s study published in the BMJ investigated whether it was safe for doctors to cut antibiotics for coughs, colds and ear infections.
Its authors calculated that if an average sized surgery of 7,000 patients slashed prescriptions by 10 per cent, there would only be one extra case of pneumonia in a year.
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Patients were also at slightly higher risk from a rare complication of sore throats called a peritonsillar abscess but both this and pneumonia is easily treatable.
By contrast, the researchers found no evidence that patients at low prescribing surgeries were at any higher risk of meningitis or other deadly infections of the lungs.
They say their findings should ‘reassure’ GPs that they can safely reduce prescriptions without exposing patients to serious illnesses.
Professor Martin Gulliford, lead author from the Division of Health and Social Care Research at King’s College London, assessed records from 610 GP surgeries in England over ten years, from 2004 to 2015.
He said: ‘Overuse of antibiotics now may result in increasing infections by resistant bacteria in the future. Current treatment recommendations are to avoid antibiotics for self-limiting respiratory infections.
The study of 4 million patients found that surgeries which doled out the fewest pills did not have any higher rates of meningitis or other serious illnesses (stock image)
‘Our results suggest that, if antibiotics are not taken, this should carry no increased risk of more serious complications.
‘General practices prescribing fewer antibiotics may have slightly higher rates of pneumonia and peritonsillar abscess but even a substantial reduction in antibiotic prescribing may be associated with only a small increase in the numbers of cases observed. Both these complications can be readily treated once identified.’
Dr Mark Ashworth, GP and author of the study from the King’s Division of Health and Social Care Research, said: ‘As a practicing GP, I see very few complications from patients who have upper respiratory tract infections and who decide to opt for a non-antibiotic approach to treating their infections.
‘Patients are recognising that most upper respiratory infections are viral and virus infections do not respond to antibiotics.
‘Our paper should reassure GPs and patients that rare bacterial complications of respiratory infections are indeed rare.
‘Fortunately, if there are any signs of a complication, the GP can quickly step in and offer an appropriate antibiotic.’
Recent NHS figures showed that GPs are now dishing out 2.7 million fewer antibiotics a year in the wake of the new guidelines.
The number of antibiotics prescribed by GPs in England fell by 7.3 per cent in the last year, from 37million in 2014/15 to 34.3million in 2015/16.
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