A recent study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine found that taking antibiotics for acute bronchitis did not improve the severity or duration of the cough, even in cases where the cough was caused by a bacterial infection. This confirms that there is no point in prescribing antibiotics to people with acute bronchitis.
In a new study, scientists analyzed data on people with lower respiratory tract infection (acute bronchitis). Typically, such infections lead to a deep, persistent cough and fever.
The observational study included more than 700 people ages 18 to 75 who visited a primary or urgent care physician for acute bronchitis between June 2019 and April 2023. The average age of participants was 39, and about 3 in 4 had a moderately severe or worse cough. On average, people had a cough that lasted five days before going to the doctor.
While 29% of the patients received at least one antibiotic for treatment, 7.1% received an antiviral agent. It turned out that people who were prescribed antibiotics suffered from cough one and a half days longer than those who were not prescribed: 15.9 days versus 17.5.
The cough duration of those who had a bacterial infection lasted 17 days, regardless of whether they were prescribed antibiotics or not.
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Source: Ferra
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