Increasing Consumption of Antibiotics during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Implications for Patient Health and Emerging Anti-Microbial Resistance
The emergence of COVID-19 infection led to the indiscriminate use of antimicrobials without knowing their efficacy in treating the disease. The gratuitous use of antibiotics for COVID-19 treatment raises concerns about the emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). In this systematic review, we pe...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Antibiotics |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/12/1/45 |
| _version_ | 1797447005272801280 |
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| author | Shahana Seher Malik Sunil Mundra |
| author_facet | Shahana Seher Malik Sunil Mundra |
| author_sort | Shahana Seher Malik |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The emergence of COVID-19 infection led to the indiscriminate use of antimicrobials without knowing their efficacy in treating the disease. The gratuitous use of antibiotics for COVID-19 treatment raises concerns about the emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). In this systematic review, we performed a thorough systematic search using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines of scientific databases (Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed) to identify studies where antibiotics were prescribed to treat COVID-19 (December 2019 to December 2021). Of 970 identified studies, 130 were included in our analyses. Almost 78% of COVID-19 patients have been prescribed an antibiotic. Cephalosporins were the most prescribed (30.1% of patients) antibiotics, followed by azithromycin (26% of patients). Antibiotics were prescribed for COVID-19 patients regardless of reported severity; the overall rate of antibiotic use was similar when comparing patients with a severe or critical illness (77.4%) and patients with mild or moderate illness (76.8%). Secondary infections were mentioned in only 11 studies. We conclude that concerns related to COVID-19 and the lack of treatment strategy led to the overuse of antibiotics without proper clinical rationale. Based on our findings, we propose that antimicrobial stewardship should be retained as a priority while treating viral pandemics. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:48:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ecc0255a0e6348c3a59f2af0cc9a6ac6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-6382 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:48:38Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Antibiotics |
| spelling | doaj.art-ecc0255a0e6348c3a59f2af0cc9a6ac62023-11-30T20:54:56ZengMDPI AGAntibiotics2079-63822022-12-011214510.3390/antibiotics12010045Increasing Consumption of Antibiotics during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Implications for Patient Health and Emerging Anti-Microbial ResistanceShahana Seher Malik0Sunil Mundra1Department of Biology, College of Science, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain P.O. Box 15551, United Arab EmiratesDepartment of Biology, College of Science, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain P.O. Box 15551, United Arab EmiratesThe emergence of COVID-19 infection led to the indiscriminate use of antimicrobials without knowing their efficacy in treating the disease. The gratuitous use of antibiotics for COVID-19 treatment raises concerns about the emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). In this systematic review, we performed a thorough systematic search using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines of scientific databases (Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed) to identify studies where antibiotics were prescribed to treat COVID-19 (December 2019 to December 2021). Of 970 identified studies, 130 were included in our analyses. Almost 78% of COVID-19 patients have been prescribed an antibiotic. Cephalosporins were the most prescribed (30.1% of patients) antibiotics, followed by azithromycin (26% of patients). Antibiotics were prescribed for COVID-19 patients regardless of reported severity; the overall rate of antibiotic use was similar when comparing patients with a severe or critical illness (77.4%) and patients with mild or moderate illness (76.8%). Secondary infections were mentioned in only 11 studies. We conclude that concerns related to COVID-19 and the lack of treatment strategy led to the overuse of antibiotics without proper clinical rationale. Based on our findings, we propose that antimicrobial stewardship should be retained as a priority while treating viral pandemics.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/12/1/45AMRantibioticscephalosporinCOVID-19co-infectionsecondary infection |
| spellingShingle | Shahana Seher Malik Sunil Mundra Increasing Consumption of Antibiotics during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Implications for Patient Health and Emerging Anti-Microbial Resistance Antibiotics AMR antibiotics cephalosporin COVID-19 co-infection secondary infection |
| title | Increasing Consumption of Antibiotics during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Implications for Patient Health and Emerging Anti-Microbial Resistance |
| title_full | Increasing Consumption of Antibiotics during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Implications for Patient Health and Emerging Anti-Microbial Resistance |
| title_fullStr | Increasing Consumption of Antibiotics during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Implications for Patient Health and Emerging Anti-Microbial Resistance |
| title_full_unstemmed | Increasing Consumption of Antibiotics during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Implications for Patient Health and Emerging Anti-Microbial Resistance |
| title_short | Increasing Consumption of Antibiotics during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Implications for Patient Health and Emerging Anti-Microbial Resistance |
| title_sort | increasing consumption of antibiotics during the covid 19 pandemic implications for patient health and emerging anti microbial resistance |
| topic | AMR antibiotics cephalosporin COVID-19 co-infection secondary infection |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/12/1/45 |
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