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To kill bacteria, antibiotics are being used since long ago. As there is rampant use of antibiotics in recent times, it has made many antibiotics less effective against many bacteria, which leads to development of antibiotic resistant bacteria causing difficulty in treating emerging diseases. Bacteria leads to development of many illness which is treatable by oral or injectable antibiotics, only if used judiciously. Antibiotics works by acting on the cell wall of bacteria and making bacteria prone to immune cell of human body. Use of antibiotics should be done in each and every case of sore throat, fever, running nose because these conditions are usually caused by viruses not every time by bacteria. Sometimes, these conditions are aggravated by secondary bacterial infection in such condition there comes the role of antibiotics. In children, whenever there happens fever or congested nose, paediatricians usually don’t prescribe oral antibiotics until the condition is getting worse or children develops pneumonia.
Patients usually ask to add antibiotics at earliest of the disease but that is not going to work everytime because the common cold or flu is usually caused by viruses. Use of antibiotics sometimes leads to other side effects like gastric upset, vomiting, diarrhea etc.
Sometimes in common cold, there happens running nose with greenish or yellowish discharge. This kind of discharge doesn’t warrant the use of antibiotics as mucus from nasal mucosa sometimes changes color. This type of discharge happens in sinusitis, which can be caused by virus, bacteria or simple allergic response.
Warning signs for adding antibiotics:- if respiratory symptoms are lasting longer than 10 days, or there is continous greenish or yellowish discharge, then appropriate antibiotics can be added.
Many ear infection leads to pain in ear and fever, which can be easily managed with oral or topical decongestant or oral painkillers like acetoaminophen like paracetamol, ibugesic etc. so in every ear pain or infection, there is no need to add oral antibiotics.
Side Effects in Children: –
It has been reported that 1 in 10 children taking oral antibiotics leads to development of side effects which can be in form of skin rash, gastric upset, oral ulceration, diarrhoes, vomiting etc. allergic reaction can be seen in form of reddish spots on skin and should be reported to your physician as early as possible. The repeated use of antibiotics should be avoided as it leads to development of resistant bacteria which later on leads to emerging of untreatable diseases. So the use of antibiotics should be done judiciously and only under guidance of your Pediatrician Sector 57 Gurgaon.
