Regal Tribune

Wednesday, January 27, 2021
Log in
  • National News
  • Business
  • Technology
  • Science
  • Health
  • About Regal Tribune

Pages

  • About Regal Tribune
  • Body of Woman Discovered in Gwinnett Place Mall Identified
  • Compulsory Vaccines for Children
  • Contact Us
  • High Tides Are the New Danger in U.S. States
  • Homepage
  • Our Team
  • Privacy Policy GDPR
  • Terms of Use

Recent Posts

  • Canadian Teen Dies on School Trip from Toxic Shock Syndrome Jun 29, 2018
  • Unesco Removes the Belize Coral Reef from Its List of Endangered Sites Jun 28, 2018
  • Tonight, the Blood Moon Coincides with the Longest Lunar Eclipse of the Century Jun 27, 2018
  • People Are Paying Hundreds of Dollars Just to Own Official Fortnite Disc Copies Jun 27, 2018
  • Researchers Reassess the Fermi Paradox, Showing We’re Probably Alone in the Universe (Study) Jun 26, 2018
  • The Latest Xbox Update Might Bring Keyboard and Mouse Support on the Console Jun 26, 2018
  • Researchers Invent Miraculous Plaster that Effectively Treats Oral Ulcers Jun 25, 2018

Antibiotics Help Prevent Recurrent Wheezing among Kids

Nov 18, 2015 By Jose Buttner Leave a Comment

Email, RSS Follow

recurrent wheezingAntibiotics help prevent recurrent wheezing among kids, making corticosteroids redundant, a recent study has shown. The findings were published on November 17, in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

A team of researchers, led by Leonard Bacharier, professor of pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, conducted a randomized controlled trial involving 607 children.

The participants, aged between 12 months and 6 years, had been selected because their medical records had shown they had a history of respiratory illness.

When they began showing the first signs of a cold, some of the patients were administered a placebo, while others were given azithromycin (commercialized as Zmax or Zithromax).

In total, 937 respiratory tract illnesses occurred, among 443 of the subjects, and although the number of colds had been similar between the two randomly assigned groups, overall progression varied significantly.

Of the 92 participants whose condition worsened, until they eventually developed severe lower respiratory tract infections (such as pneumonia), 57 had been part of the controlled group who had only taken a placebo, while 32 had been the ones who were given azithromycin.

In other words, those who had been administered this antibiotic during the early stages of a cold had a 36% lower probability of suffering complications, in comparison with those who hadn’t benefited from this treatment.

Therefore, study authors recommend that for children who are more at risk of developing pneumonia and other types of lower respiratory tract infections, it might be preferable to take azithromycin from the early signs of a cold.

Such advice might be surprising to some, given that it has been well-documented that antimicrobials taken too frequently or indiscriminately lead to an alarming number of superbugs, due to growing antibiotic resistance.

This is especially important, since this particular drug has been proven to cause the emergence of bacteria which no longer responds to treatment later on.

On the other hand, overly vulnerable children whose colds always degenerate into more serious conditions might benefit by taking azithromycin, study authors insist.

Around a quarter of all kids younger than 6 experience recurrent wheezing and other symptoms associated with chest infections, precisely because their body isn’t capable of defending itself adequately against upper respiratory tract illnesses, such as laryngitis or tonsillitis.

Therefore, a heavy, early dose of antibiotics at the beginning of a cold might seem counter-intuitive, but could actually help reduce the incidence of more severe conditions.

According to researchers, this type of treatment might lower the need for corticosteroids, such as methylprednisolone or prednisone, which are commonly prescribed nowadays in order to combat frequent wheezing.

Oral corticosteroids are used so as to prevent asthma, by reducing chronic inflammation and opening up airways, but they don’t always yield the desired results, especially among young kids.

Azithromycin would make these drugs unnecessary, by stopping colds from advancing and affecting the lower respiratory tract as well.

Overall drug tolerability is high, adverse reactions are minimal (diarrhea, nausea, headache), and the antibiotic is also widely available and cheap enough so that it can be extremely accessible.

Nevertheless, concerns still remain regarding the possibility that azithromycin might help create bacteria that’s immune to conventional treatment,. Therefore, study authors are now planning further research, to assess the long-term implications of this drug therapy when it comes to the creation of deadly superbugs.

Image Source: Flickr

Email, RSS Follow

Filed Under: Health

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 11 other subscribers

Recent Articles

Starbucks coffee.

California Family to Sue Starbucks over Drinking Coffee with Blood

Feb 11, 2018 By Benjamin Teh Leave a Comment

uber app

Portland Officials Learned Uber Activated Software to Deceive Ride Service Regulators

Sep 16, 2017 By Jose Buttner Leave a Comment

tesla model s

Tesla’s Free Software Upgrade for Drivers Affected by Irma to Expire on Saturday

Sep 12, 2017 By Jose Buttner Leave a Comment

hurricane aftermath

Companies Assess the Economic Toll of Two Hurricanes Hitting the U.S.

Sep 11, 2017 By Lori Martinez Leave a Comment

chipotle restaurant

Chipotle Announced Nationwide Launch for Famous Cheese Sauce, Queso

Sep 6, 2017 By Lori Martinez Leave a Comment

bitcoin coins

China Is the First Nation to React to Initial Coin Offerings

Sep 4, 2017 By Benjamin Teh Leave a Comment

people sheltering from flood

Best Buy Gives Its Apologies for Water Price Gouging after Hurricane Harvey

Sep 2, 2017 By Graziella Paone Leave a Comment

uber driver

Uber Will Quit Surveillance Feature after Riders End Their Trips

Aug 31, 2017 By Benjamin Teh Leave a Comment

uber car

Uber Introduces New Flexible Driver Benefits

Aug 24, 2017 By Graziella Paone Leave a Comment

mountain view

Interior Department Kills Study on Health Hazards of Appalachian Mountaintop Removal Coal Mine

Aug 23, 2017 By Jose Buttner Leave a Comment

volkswagen minibus

Volkswagen Is Bringing Back the Sassy ID Buzz Minibus in Electric Version

Aug 21, 2017 By Benjamin Teh Leave a Comment

howard schultz interview

Starbucks CEO Speaks out about Charlottesville Violence

Aug 19, 2017 By Jose Buttner Leave a Comment

michael o'leary

Ryanair CEO Opposes Collaboration between Lufthansa and Insolvent Rival Air Berlin

Aug 18, 2017 By Lori Martinez Leave a Comment

aldi logo

Aldi Distances Itself from Competitors with New Grocery Delivery System

Aug 14, 2017 By Jose Buttner Leave a Comment

Related Articles

  • Colony of green bacteria

    Canadian Teen Dies on School Trip from Toxic Shock Syndrome

    Jun 29, 2018
  • Five plasters placed on a dark blue textile surface

    Researchers Invent Miraculous Plaster that Effectively Treats Oral Ulcers

    Jun 25, 2018
  • Old person holding their hands on their legs

    Parkinson’s Medication Might Activate Compulsive Behavior, Turning People into Sex Addicts

    Jun 21, 2018
  • Black overweight Labrador sitting on a carpet

    Overweight Dogs Might Teach Researchers How to Deal with Obesity (Study)

    Jun 18, 2018
  • Colorful elephant drawings on LSD stamps

    Psychedelic Drugs Might Reverse the Effects of Depression (Study)

    Jun 14, 2018
  • Thermometer placed on top of a pile of prescription drugs

    More Americans Are Taking Prescription Drugs with Anxiety and Depression as Side Effects (Study)

    Jun 13, 2018
  • Child studying at night using a poor light source

    Researchers Identify Strong Link Between Education and Poor Vision (Study)

    Jun 7, 2018
  • Pomegranate half with dark red arils inside

    Australian Woman Dies from Hepatitis A after Eating a Frozen Pomegranate

    Jun 6, 2018
  • Baby feet sticking out of a fluffy blanket

    Doctor who Decapitated Baby during Breech Birth Pronounced Guilty

    Jun 5, 2018
  • Intricate eye makeup in shades of blue and green

    Australian Woman Is Left Nearly Blind After Not Removing Eye Makeup for 25 Years (Study)

    Jun 4, 2018

Categories

  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Health
  • National News
  • Nature
  • Science
  • Technology
  • U.S.

Copyright © 2021RegalTribune.com

About · Privacy Policy · Terms of Use · Contact

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Learn more.