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Monday, April 12, 2004They examined a number of previous studies, covering 7,000 children, to compare the effectiveness of the two drugs. Both penicillin and the cephalosporins are "narrow spectrum", which means they are targeted enough to tackle the bacteria but not so strong that they cause resistance. Resistance can lead to the creation of a superbug and is one of the reasons penicillin has traditionally been used. However, the researchers said the newer drugs both met this requirement and were more effective in attacking the bacteria that cause strep throat. Bacteria do develop resistance to penicillin and cephalosporins when those drugs are overused. Dr Janet Casey, a paediatrician and lead author of the study, said: "Children who have strep throat will have a superior outcome if they receive cephalosporin rather than penicillin. "Some penicillin proponents don't spend much time in the paediatrician's office. Many of these doctors aren't in the trenches anymore seeing sick children every day. "Those of us who are see how frustrating it is for families who need to come back for additional treatments who wonder why the antibiotic their child took didn't work." .....However, Dr George Rae, a GP and a member of the British Medical Association's prescribing committee, said the research "flies in the face" of what doctors have been taught and have found to work in practise. He said: "In my experience, I have found streptococcal sore throats have resolved using penicillin. Unless guidelines are produced by NICE or whoever, I am happy with the way I do it." He stressed that 90% of sore throats are viral and do not require antibiotics. I have to agree with the British doctor. Whether or not a strep throat will respond better to penicillin or a cephalosporin depends on where you live and the types of bacterial resistance that's going on in your community. The study didn't take this major factor into account. It just mixed together the results of a bunch of other papers of varying quality into a statistical equation to find a trend. Not the best basis for practice decisions posted by Sydney on 4/12/2004 08:38:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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