Antibiotics for asthma attacks: masking uncertainty
The role for antibiotics in acute asthma has been historically overestimated [1]. From a mechanistic point of view, multiplex PCR testing and conventional microbiological techniques show that >50–80% of events are associated with viral infections, and less than 20% associated with evidence of bac...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Journal article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
European Respiratory Society
2021
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| _version_ | 1826307967465553920 |
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| author | Ramakrishnan, S Couillard, S |
| author_facet | Ramakrishnan, S Couillard, S |
| author_sort | Ramakrishnan, S |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | The role for antibiotics in acute asthma has been historically overestimated [1]. From a mechanistic point of view, multiplex PCR testing and conventional microbiological techniques show that >50–80% of events are associated with viral infections, and less than 20% associated with evidence of bacterial infection, with the remaining proportion presumed to be due to allergies and irritants [2]. Consequently, antibiotics are not expected to work in the context of most asthma attacks and their routine use is not recommended. This stance is supported by a Cochrane review, which found inconsistent data to support antimicrobial use [3] and a good quality retrospective cohort study, which associated the combination of antibiotics and oral corticosteroids (OCS) with a longer hospital length of stay, higher hospital cost, and similar risk of treatment failure compared to matched patients treated only with OCS alone [4]. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T07:12:35Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:a0543384-0dba-4fb8-9d54-3876db0d7f6e |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T07:12:35Z |
| publishDate | 2021 |
| publisher | European Respiratory Society |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:a0543384-0dba-4fb8-9d54-3876db0d7f6e2022-07-01T08:49:08ZAntibiotics for asthma attacks: masking uncertaintyJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501uuid:a0543384-0dba-4fb8-9d54-3876db0d7f6eEnglishSymplectic ElementsEuropean Respiratory Society2021Ramakrishnan, SCouillard, SThe role for antibiotics in acute asthma has been historically overestimated [1]. From a mechanistic point of view, multiplex PCR testing and conventional microbiological techniques show that >50–80% of events are associated with viral infections, and less than 20% associated with evidence of bacterial infection, with the remaining proportion presumed to be due to allergies and irritants [2]. Consequently, antibiotics are not expected to work in the context of most asthma attacks and their routine use is not recommended. This stance is supported by a Cochrane review, which found inconsistent data to support antimicrobial use [3] and a good quality retrospective cohort study, which associated the combination of antibiotics and oral corticosteroids (OCS) with a longer hospital length of stay, higher hospital cost, and similar risk of treatment failure compared to matched patients treated only with OCS alone [4]. |
| spellingShingle | Ramakrishnan, S Couillard, S Antibiotics for asthma attacks: masking uncertainty |
| title | Antibiotics for asthma attacks: masking uncertainty |
| title_full | Antibiotics for asthma attacks: masking uncertainty |
| title_fullStr | Antibiotics for asthma attacks: masking uncertainty |
| title_full_unstemmed | Antibiotics for asthma attacks: masking uncertainty |
| title_short | Antibiotics for asthma attacks: masking uncertainty |
| title_sort | antibiotics for asthma attacks masking uncertainty |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ramakrishnans antibioticsforasthmaattacksmaskinguncertainty AT couillards antibioticsforasthmaattacksmaskinguncertainty |