HERALD EDITORIAL: Overuse of antibiotics troublesome for doctors, patients

With all the hubbub surrounding the swine flu pandemic, it seems like antibacterial soaps, sprays, and wipes, would make a pretty solid investment.

Western Michigan University’s ostensibly massive buildup of the antibacterial bubbly-soap dispensers that mount on walls and the little bottles of antibacterial lotion is evidence of this.

All of the antibacterial products, from bubbly-soap to wipes, kill 99.99 percent of germs and none of the antibacterial soap/lotion companies are shy about letting people know that their products kill 99.99 percent of germs.

Such a high percentage is a persuasive number because without specific and/or intimate biological knowledge we cannot appreciate the significance of .01 percent bacterial remainder.

And yet, that .01 percent bacterial remainder is perhaps more significant than its deceased brethren.

Antibacterial soaps essentially speed up the process of evolution. The .01 percent of bacteria that remain after a surface is disinfected are resistant to those disinfectants, which means that their offspring will likely resist disinfectants as well.

Culpability is not limited to antibacterial hand/surface sanitizers. Antibiotics also contribute to the problem.

In general, antibiotics are overprescribed and overused. Like the ubiquity of topical antibacterial agents, antibiotics’ overuse speeds up evolution and is creating a “superbug” that will no doubt kill us all.

Plus, the bacteria-exterminating effects of antibiotics diminish with repeated use.

When tackling a big issue like the overuse of antibiotics it is convenient to have a culprit on-hand and obvious, but that is not the case for this issue. For this issue, blame seems to rest with the patient.

“As a physician at Sindecuse, it is not uncommon to have a student tell me that they ‘always receive an antibiotic from their primary care physician when they get a sinus infection or bronchitis,’” said Dr. Lisa Marshall, medical director of Sindecuse Health Center.

The 21st Century has changed the field of medicine. Today’s populace has made it their business to inform themselves about health-related topics via the Internet.

Yet it seems like the wider availability of health-related information has, more than anything, engendered sometimes staggering misinterpretations of the said health-related information.

“Occasionally, we have patients who do demand antibiotics despite education about the infection being viral,” Marshall said.

The effect is sometimes vexing to doctors.

“When we provide students with education and non-antibiotic treatments for viral infections, some students perceive this as receiving inferior treatment,” Marshall said.

“Since there is a perception by the public that the best form of treatment is an antibiotic, clinicians are frequently faced with pressure and dissatisfaction from our patients when they are handed a prescription that is not an antibiotic.”

Wikipedia’s article on antibiotics has a lengthy section about the resistance to and abuse of antibiotics that begins with a quote from Paul L. Marino, author of The ICU Book, who stated that “the first rule of antibiotics is to try not to use them.”

And true-to-form, Wikipedia is more or less right. Science has given us potent weapons for fighting bacteria, but it is crucial that we use those weapons wisely.

Short URL: http://www.westernherald.com/?p=12657

Posted by heraldstaff on Nov 29 2009. Filed under Editorial, Opinion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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