New data from the UN health agency shows that about 75% of patients in hospitals were treated with antibiotics “as a precaution,” although only 8% of them had concomitant bacterial infections and needed this type of medication, according to a WHO statement. Global health. .
He says antibiotic use “ranged from 33% for patients in the Western Pacific region to 83% in the Eastern Mediterranean and African regions,” adding that between 2020 and 2022, prescriptions were “decreasing in Europe and the Americas, while increasing in Africa.” .
According to the study, the highest rate of antibiotic use was recorded in those with severe or serious illness (global average 81%), while in mild or moderate cases there were “important differences” between regions, with Africa recording the highest rate of antibiotic use. Vitality. (79%).
The World Health Organization classifies antibiotics into three groups, taking into account the risk of antimicrobial resistance and according to the AWaRe (Access, Watch, Reserve) list. The study concluded that those in the second group, “who have a greater potential for resistance, were prescribed more frequently around the world,” which worries the organization.
“When a patient needs antibiotics, the benefits often outweigh the risks associated with side effects or antibiotic resistance. These medicines do not provide any benefit when they are not necessary,” said Silvia Bertagnolio, head of the surveillance unit of the hospital’s antimicrobial resistance-related department. “It still carries risks, and its use contributes to the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance,” the World Health Organization said in the statement.
“These data draw attention to the need to improve the rational use of antibiotics to reduce unnecessary negative consequences for patients and the population,” he added.
This work will be complemented by a systematic synthesis and evaluation of the evidence and will be taken into account in future WHO recommendations on the use of antibiotics in patients with COVID-19, within the parameters of clinical management of the disease.
The data analyzed in the study are from the WHO's COVID-19 Global Clinical Platform, covering approximately 450,000 patients hospitalized with the disease in 65 countries over a three-year period (between January 2020 and March 2023).
The conclusions will be presented at the World Congress of the European Society for Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID), which starts on Saturday and continues until April 30, in Barcelona (Spain).
