The researchers found a correlation between the amount of different antibiotics on the market and the per capita use of antibiotics: A finding that suggests market factors may be playing a more important role than medical considerations. Why overuse is a problem
The main reason that antibiotics should not be taken unnecessarily is the problem of bacterial resistance.

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Bacteria are constantly evolving new methods to allow them to survive exposure to an antibiotic. The more often bacteria are exposed to an antibiotic, the more likely they are to develop resistance to that antibiotic.

This is an increasing problem worldwide, and some bacteria are now resistant to most, if not all, antibiotics.

How the study was conducted
The researchers correlated the number of different oral antibiotics available in each of 15 European countries in 1998 with each country's per capita antibiotic use at that time, Medscape reports.

They found a correlation between the amount of tradename products available in a particular country and the country's per capita use of antibiotics.

"This correlation held true for all common antibiotic classes except first- and second-generation cephalosporins ," according to Medscape.

The researchers emphasised that the study does not suggest a causal link.

"Still, the relation is interesting and raises the question of how much our worrisome antibiotic prescribing patterns might stem from clever marketing principles and simple consumer instincts, similar to those that drive children in toy stores," Abigail Zuger, MD wrote on the Medscape website. The study was published in the journal Clinical Infectious Disease. - (Health24)

Visit our Antibiotics Centre for more information.

September 2005
 

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