Research Headlines

Overuse of antibiotics

By Jeanne Sabatie, Production Editor

Worried about antibiotic-resistant diseases, the American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine have issued new guidelines of appropriate antibiotic use. They appear in the March 20 Annals of Internal Medicine. Most of the antibiotics prescribed in the U.S. are for upper respiratory tract infections that are caused by viruses, not bacteria, and therefore do not need antibiotics. For most adults, the guidelines recommend OTC remedies and saltwater gargles for relief—and expect symptoms to last up to two weeks.

Jeanne Sabatie. Overuse of antibiotics.

Business and Health

2001;4:9.