Too often taking antibiotics? This is the consequence: function, dosage, side effects, how to use it

In 1960, a surgeon in America said a phrase that was famous in his time: "It is time to close the book of infectious diseases, and declare victory over the war against the plague". The discovery of the antibiotic penicillin by Alexander Fleming, and its success in treating wound infections in the second world war, is good news in the world of health.

Unfortunately, this joyful news did not last long. Four years later, penicillin was unable to treat all infected wounds, and a new problem emerged: antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic resistance, aka resistance to antibiotics, is the ability of bacteria to withstand the effects of drugs, as a result, bacteria do not die after antibiotics are given. Now 46 years have passed, and it seems we are still far from being able to avoid infectious diseases.

How does antibiotic resistance come about?

When a person is sick and is given antibiotics, bacteria normally die from the drug. However, in some cases, some bacteria will mutate and form resistance to antibiotics. These bacteria will then multiply, and a colony of bacteria that is resistant and can be transmitted to other individuals is created. Some of the ways bacteria can form resistance include:

• Producing enzymes that can destroy antibiotics
• Changes in the bacterial cell wall / membrane, so that drugs cannot enter
• Changes in the number of drug receptors in bacterial cells, so that drugs cannot bind
• And others.

Is resistance to this antibiotic dangerous?

The prevalence of resistant or resistant bacteria has skyrocketed in recent years, and new resistance mechanisms are constantly being discovered and spreading around the world. The list of infections with bacteria that are already resistant is pneumonia, tuberculosis, gonorrhea, and growing. This makes treatment increasingly difficult, and sometimes untreatable.

This condition is exacerbated by the ease with which antibiotics are purchased, even without a doctor's prescription in some countries. In some countries without standard treatment, antibiotics are often prescribed without clear indications. This adds to the burden of existing antibiotic resistance.

Resistance leads to increased medical costs, longer treatment and hospitalization times, and a higher mortality rate. Research conducted by WHO concluded that the mortality rate for infection E. coli 2 times higher in resistant bacteria than non-resistant bacteria. For pneumonia infections, this rate ranged from 1.9 times, and 1.6 times in infections S. aureus. In Europe, 25,000 deaths are caused by resistant infections each year, causing more than US $ 15 million in losses in health costs and lost work productivity. Antibiotic resistance resulted in an increase in hospitalization time by an average of 4.65 days, and an ICU stay of 4 days.

Why don't we use new antibiotics for treatment?

In 2005, the FDA stated that there has been a decline in the discovery of new antibiotics in the past decade. This is because the discovery of new antibiotics requires a lot of time and money. It takes around 400-800 million US $ for the discovery of one antibiotic. In addition, research to find a drug also takes a long time, in several stages before finally a drug can be mass produced.

What can we do to prevent antibiotic resistance?

The discovery of new antibiotics to fight resistance would be futile, if not accompanied by our actions to prevent resistance from reoccurring.

What can the community do?

• Preventing infection, by maintaining cleanliness, washing regularly properly, carrying out vaccinations.
• Only take antibiotics if prescribed by a doctor or health professional.
• Always take antibiotics.
• Never use leftover antibiotics.
• Do not share antibiotics with other people.

What can health workers do?

• Prevent infection by washing hands, washing medical instruments and keeping a clean work environment.
• Check the patient's vaccination status, whether it is complete or not.
• If a bacterial infection is suspected, it is better to confirm with laboratory tests or culture.
• Only prescribe antibiotics when absolutely necessary.
• Prescribe antibiotics with the right dose, the right way of administration, the right time and duration of administration.