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Adverse Reactions to Antibiotics Send Thousands of Patients to the ER ARLINGTON, Virginia -- August 13, 2008 -- Adverse events from antibiotics cause an estimated 142,000 emergency department visits per year in the United States, according to a study published in the September 15 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases. "This number is an important reminder for physicians and patients that antibiotics can have serious side effects and should only be taken when necessary," said study author Daniel Budnitz, MD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia. Half of the visits were for reactions to penicillins and the other half were from reactions to other antibiotics used to treat a wide variety of bacterial infections. After accounting for how often antibiotics were prescribed, children less than 1 year old were found to have the highest rate of adverse drug events. Almost 80% of all antibiotic adverse events in the study were allergic reactions, ranging from rash to anaphylaxis, and the remaining 20% were caused by errors and overdoses. "For conditions in which antibiotics have questionable benefit, such as many mild upper respiratory tract infections, weighing the benefits of antibiotics with the risks of a serious adverse event will be especially important," said Dr. Budnitz. "Because antibiotics are frequently used, both appropriately and inappropriately, if doctors would reduce the number of antibiotics they prescribe to their patients by even a small percentage, we could significantly reduce the number of emergency visits for antibiotic adverse events. Physicians need to communicate to their patients that antibiotics are not harmless," he added. The researchers found that only 6% of the patients who experienced adverse events required hospitalisation. The others were all treated and released. However, the study only reflected emergency department admissions. Unreported cases and visits to a physician's office could not be taken into account. SOURCE: Infectious Diseases Society of America E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version