Are antibiotics overprescribed in mild COPD?
Antibiotics are being overprescribed for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), particularly for mild-to-moderate disease, a large observational study suggests.
UK researchers analysed data from a large English primary care database, for nearly 20,000 COPD patients (mean age, 71, 46% women) from 157 practices who were followed for one year.
Approximately 70% to 80% had mild-to-moderate disease, defined by a Global Initiative for Obstructive Pulmonary Disease stage 1-2 or Medical Research Council Dyspnoea scale 1-3.
A total of 833 patients (4.5%) with severe COPD and frequent acute exacerbations were issued with six to nine prescriptions per year, accounting for 13% of all antibiotic scripts for those with COPD.