By: Aya Dabaja
When you get sick, how many of you reach into the medicine cabinet to grab some of the leftover antibiotics that you have saved from prior illnesses? Or even taking a few amoxicillin when you feel like a cold is coming on? All these have been proven to be bad ideas! The vast majority of colds are caused by viruses. A virus is a small capsule filled with genetic material. It is non-reproducible unless it invades cells of its host, in this case humans. Patients who experience a cold may have a runny nose, sore throat, a low-grade fever and cough.
Bacteria are a less common cause of an upper respiratory infection. Bacterium are a functional cell that reproduce on their own. Today's antibiotics aim to halt the multiplication of these cells by disrupting the cell's machinery. Patients who are experiencing a bacterial upper respiratory infection may experience a high grade fever, congestion, a sore or burning throat, swollen tonsils (located in the back of your throat), and chills but usually no cough. Physicians can do a quick test in their office or in the ER to test for strep throat.
Multiple studies have shown that prescribing antibiotics to patients with viral infections cause more harm than good. Using antibiotics unnecessarily will increase resistance to that antibiotic in the community. If a bacteria is resistant to an antibiotic, it limits a physician's options to treat subsequent infections. This leads to higher costs for patients, as they may have to use more novel medications. It may even lead to hospital stays that require IV antibiotics as well.
In conclusion, viruses are unaffected by antibiotics. Viral colds will run their course of 7-10 days regardless of interventions. Using antibiotics on viruses will not only lead to unnecessary costs for patients, resistance in the community and unpleasant side effects. This has been an increasing problem in our community today. Many doctors prescribe antibiotics at the request of patients or parents. So next time you go to your doctor for a cold, ask them, are antibiotics necessary?