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.
Department of Pediatrics, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, Illinois 60153.
M S
MS
Puczynski
J
J
Gonzalez
J P
JP
O'Keefe
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