Self-treatment with antibiotics.
Two hundred seventy patients who presented with symptoms assumed to be infectious in origin were evaluated for self-treatment with antibiotics. Urine was tested for the presence of antimicrobials by agar diffusion assay using Bacillus subtilis as the test organism. Seventeen patients (6%) were found to have antibiotic activity in their urine, but only five admitted to self-medication. Age, sex, and duration of symptoms were unrelated to the incidence of self-medication. Self-medication was seen more frequently in patients presenting with upper respiratory infection symptoms (12%) when compared to other symptom complexes (P less than .002). This study suggests that self-medication with antibiotics can be an important problem in patients who present to emergency departments, as this practice could have an impact on clinical diagnosis and bacterial cultures.
Puczynski
M S
MS
Department of Pediatrics, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, Illinois 60153.
Gonzalez
J
J
O'Keefe
J P
JP
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use* / Q000652:urine; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005334:Fever / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000652:urine; D006801:Humans; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000652:urine; D012651:Self Medication; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000652:urine
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents