That we have a major problem with bacteria and antibiotics is something that nobody doubts. The bacteria become increasingly resistant (even talking about the superbacteria, for which there is no possible treatment), causing a lower efficacy of antibiotics; the abuse of these causes, in addition, alterations in the intestinal flora because not only the bacteria that you want to eliminate dies, but also many of the "good" bacteria that inhabit our body.
One of the solutions to prevent or reduce this problem was the recommendation of properly comply with treatments and not leave the syrup even if the symptoms have already disappeared. The problem is that this indication could be a mistake, because if you take antibiotics more days than necessary, resistance is also caused.
Too many days taking antibiotic
As we read in El Mundo, a study published in the magazine British Medical Journal has concluded that this recommendation, the typical one that pediatricians always tell parents: "You have to finish the antibiotic pattern, because if not, resistance is created", it could be wrong if we consider that in many cases, the treatments are too long.
And it is that if doing a treatment too short is a problem because it may be insufficient to end the bacterial infection that you want to control, doing a treatment that is too long may also be because, although it was thought that this avoided the risk of resistance , it turns out that this is precisely how they are caused.
AdvertisingLong treatments reinforce bacteria that do not die
Our body is full of bacteria that live with us without this causing us a problem. We have them externally, in the skin, and we have them internally, especially in the organs of the digestive system.
While all are in relative equilibrium, they pose no risk to us, and in fact bring multiple benefits to our immune system. However, at the moment when one of the bacteria begins to replicate above the desirable, an infection appears that produces tonsillitis, otitis, pneumonia, etc.
Then the doctor indicates an antibiotic treatment, which is intended to be the most sensitive for the bacteria to treat, but that is not for all the bacteria that inhabit our body. A very short treatment may not end the bacteria to be controlled, and the infection returns, being necessary to repeat the treatment. A very long treatment does kill the bacteria, but since it does not attack some of the other bacteria resistant to that antibiotic, they get even stronger.
In other words: when the antibiotic ends with bacteria A (by calling it somehow), which is what is causing an infection, but does not end with bacteria B, which is simply in the body so calm, and A takes much in reappearing, because the treatment is longer than ideal, B gets stronger against that antibiotic; it becomes even more resistant, and the person is then more at risk of suffering, from now on, an infection by bacteria B, which is that being more resistant will be more difficult to treat.
In the search for the exact days
Thus, the new challenge for researchers is to find the number of days needed to end an infection, to avoid superinfections in case of giving antibiotics a few days, and to avoid resistance in case of giving it more days. For now, and under the premise that they need more studies to determine when it is safe to stop treatments, they have made a picture like this (also shared in 'The World'), where it is shown that current treatment guidelines could be too aggressive:
Can the antibiotic be left when there are no symptoms?
If this is the question suggested by this post, the answer is a resounding no, because we could fall into the error of finishing early. The message is not: "Those who left the antibiotic ahead of time were doing great", but "Continue to comply with the doctor's guideline, while reviewing what is the best guideline for each disease and for each age, according to the seriousness of each case. "
Perhaps in this way we get that antibiotics, which They have been saving many lives for decades, keep doing your function a few more years.
Photos | iStock
In Babies and more | The use of antibiotics at the beginning of pregnancy could increase the risk of spontaneous abortion, and you, do you use antibiotics well ?, Administering antibiotics during the first three years of life deteriorates the intestinal flora of the baby
