The COVID-19 pandemic has brought on a new wave of additional antibiotic treatments. | Adobe Stock
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought on a new wave of additional antibiotic treatments. | Adobe Stock
Patients who are overprescribed antibiotics could potentially experience harmful long-term effects, which is one reason why a Scottsdale-area ear, nose and throat doctor believes the medications are, to a degree, a "necessary evil."
The issue of overprescription of antibiotics has been come to the forefront during the COVID-19 pandemic because of increased use of antibiotic treatments.
"I think there are a lot of people that get sick, you go in, you get antibiotics and you're fine. If that happens once or twice a year, it's not the hugest deal, but unfortunately, there are people that are going through the process six, eight, ten times a year, where they're literally on antibiotics almost every month," Dr. Brian Lee, a board-certified otolaryngologist at the Scottsdale Sinus and Allergy Center, told NE Valley Times. "In those cases, they do run the risk of developing resistant bacteria in their sinuses, or developing GI (gastrointestinal) issues from all the antibiotics they are taking. So what happens when people start to take a lot of antibiotics is that you can start start to build up resistance."
Dr. Brian Lee
| Scottsdale Sinus & Allergy Center
A U.K.-based study found that a possible unforeseen consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic is an increase in prescribed antibiotics, which could be causing more patients to develop a resistance to the them, BioWorld reported.
Results of a study published in the medical journal The Laryngoscope found that patients who underwent a minimally invasive sinus procedure, called balloon dilation, had a reduced dependency on antibiotics, with most dropping down to an average of 1.6 antibiotic courses per year after the procedure, compared to an average of 4.5 in the year prior to the treatment. This in-office procedure is one way that Scottsdale Sinus and Allergy Center is able to help its chronic sinusitis patients not only improve their breathing but also reduce their use of antibiotics as well.
According to Mayo Clinic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have found that between one-third and one-half of antibiotic use in humans is considered unnecessary or inappropriate.
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