Posted on 03/24/2011 6:30:18 AM PDT by decimon
Prescribing antibiotics for patients with discoloured phlegm caused by acute cough has little or no effect on alleviating symptoms and recovery, a Cardiff University study has found.
Acute cough is one of the common reasons why people visit their GP and accounts for a large proportion of antibiotics prescribed in the community. One of the most common questions asked by GPs to their patients is about their phlegm: "Are you coughing anything up?" or "What colour is your phlegm?"
Clinicians and patients commonly believe that yellow and green phlegm production is associated with a bacterial infection, which is more likely to benefit from antibiotic treatment compared to non-productive cough or cough that produces clear phlegm.
However, in a new study published in the European Respiratory Journal, Professor Chris Butler and his team from Cardiff University's School of Medicine, together with colleagues from 14 European centres present data from an observational study of 3402 adult patients with acute cough presenting for health care in 14 primary care networks.
The research found that patients producing discoloured phlegm are prescribed antibiotics more frequently than those not producing phlegm unlike those producing clear/white phlegm.
Crucially, antibiotic treatment was not associated with greater rate or magnitude of symptoms score resolution among those who produced yellow or green phlegm. Neither was recovery among those feeling generally unwell on its own, or taken together with phlegm production, associated with antibiotic treatment.
Clinicians and patients are therefore likely to both be over interpreting the importance of the colour of phlegm in the decision whether or not to prescribe, or take, antibiotics.
Professor Butler, who led the study said: "One of the exciting things about this research is that our findings from this large, multi-country observational study resonate with findings from randomised trials where benefit from antibiotic treatment in those producing discoloured phlegm has been found to be marginal at best or non-existent.
"Our findings add weight to the message that acute cough in otherwise well adults is a self-limiting condition and antibiotic treatment does not speed recovery to any meaningful extent.
"In fact, antibiotic prescribing in this situation simply unnecessarily exposes people to side effects from antibiotics, undermines future self care, and drives up antibiotic resistance."
A single centre study, using different research methods, by one of Professor Butler's predecessors at Cardiff University came to similar conclusions to this new research. Despite this, non-evidence based practice remains common across the UK.
Since I started flossing (daily, instead of whenever), my teeth (and gums) have been better, as well as my sinuses.
It’s all related - the Ear, Nose and Throat (mouth), after all.
I was not deadly serious in my statement, but kind of half way curious/suspicious. Or perhaps it's just FDA ineptitude??? Just speculating.
Antibiotic prescribing for discoloured sputum in acute cough/LRTI
LRTI = lower respiratory tract infection
Phlegm doesn’t rhyme with skates.
Should we rhyme all answers to questions in our FR replies?
What rhymes with replies? Size, eyes, thighs, dries, buys, ayes, dyes, dies, guys, hies, lies, pies, ties, vies and whys, off the top of my head.
So, I’m ready for you, lol.
Last time that happened to me, the urologist insisted on removing a cancer from my bladder.
Q: What’s green and skates on ice?
A: Peggy Phlegm
Cut cut cut, that's all American doctors do...
Extra points to anyone who knows the punchline.
Oooookay.
Q: Whats green and makes people well?
A: Mucus Welby, MD...
>> “When you cough up green or yellow phlegm you need to be prescribed antibiotics, right?” <<
.
WRONG!
The discoloration is strong evidence that your immune system is attacking the infection.
Antibiotics demolish all immune response for 6 month to a year, leaving the patient more likely to contract fatal infection, and with severely impaired digestion, leading often to colon and lung cancer.
>> “When I urinate, I see lots of healthy, bright red blood.” <<
.
You’re out of kidney!
You need lemon juice and a tsp of hot cayenne in all of your drinking water.
.
I am very wary of any drug or treatment studies coming out of the US as they are likely sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry run health care system and may have the agenda of supporting massive sales of deadly prescription drugs, possibly aimed at killing of the “undesirable” portion of the population.
Web MD = Suicide!
You saw right through my flimsy whimsy. ;-]
“However, the chances of the infection leading to something that will kill you are much higher if you don’t take antibiotics”
This ridiculous thought process is not backed up by medical studies.
Also, this thought process is what has led to the growth of superbugs which can’t be killed with antibiotics.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.