2<\/p>\n Antibiotics for common infections are commonly not prescribed according to complication risk, the new study foundCredit: Getty<\/p>\n This could lead to antibiotic resistance<\/a>, “the biggest threat to global health<\/a>“, say the researchers. <\/p>\n On the other hand, older people, who may not be able to deal with infections as easily without antibiotics were found to not receive them as much. <\/p>\n Without the help of antibiotics, many older people face more serious health complications and hospitalisations, the epidemiologists found. <\/p>\n Professor Tjeerd van Staa, one of the lead authors of the study, said: \u201cAntibiotics are effective in treating bacterial infections, but they carry the risks of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and loss of effectiveness when used inappropriately.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThat is why AMR to antibiotics has been recognised as one of the biggest threats to global public health.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cGiven the threat of resistance, there is a need to better target antibiotics in primary care to patients with higher risks of infection-related complications such as sepsis<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cBut this study finds that antibiotics for common infections are commonly not prescribed according to complication risk and that suggests there is plenty of scope to do more on reducing antibiotic prescribing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The study, that involved looking at 15.7 million patient records, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research and published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine earlier this month, suggests far fewer antibiotics could be prescribed.<\/p>\n The researchers found the probability of being prescribed antibiotics for a lower respiratory tract or urinary tract infection<\/a> had no link to any risk of hospitalisation.<\/p>\n And the probability of being prescribed an antibiotic for an upper respiratory tract infection was only weakly related to the patient’s risk of being hospitalised. <\/p>\n \u200bT\u200bhe infectious threat of antibiotic resistance by Professor Dame Sally Davies<\/p>\n The study also showed things like a patient’s age and the presence of other health problems were only weakly associated with the probability of being prescribed antibiotic treatment for a common infection.<\/p>\n Elderly patients in the sample were 31 per cent less likely than the youngest patients to receive an antibiotic for upper respiratory infections.<\/p>\n Patients with combinations of diseases were seven per cent less likely than people without major health problems to receive antibiotics for upper respiratory infections<\/a>, added the researchers. <\/p>\n Dr Ali Fahmi, the study’s other lead author, added: \u201cRather than imposing targets for reducing inappropriate prescribing, we argue that it is far more viable for clinicians to focus on improving risk-based antibiotic prescribing for infections that are less severe and typically self-limiting.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cPrognosis and harm should explicitly be considered in treatment guidelines, alongside better personalised information for clinicians and patients to support shared decision making.\u201d<\/p>\n 2<\/p>\n The NHS advises times when antibiotics should be prescribed – for example, for kidney infections, to help speed up recoveryCredit: Getty<\/p>\n The NHS<\/a> says antibiotics should only be prescribed to treat health problems:<\/p>\n Antibiotics may also be recommended for people who are more vulnerable to the harmful effects of infection, such as people over the age of 75, people with heart failure<\/a>, and people with a weakened immune system. <\/p>\n Antibiotics are normally recommended if you’re having a type of surgery\u00a0that carries a high risk of infection, and are sometimes given\u00a0as a precaution to prevent, rather than treat, an infection.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Man](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/young-man-takes-medication-reduce-988863050.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Woman](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/woman-kidney-disease-988863166.jpg\")
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