Bronchitis? Skip the antibiotics

There is no evidence that antibiotics help the vast majority of patients with acute bronchitis, and doctors should stop routinely prescribing them, researchers report.

Acute bronchitis, an inflammation of the main airways to the lungs marked by an irritating cough, is one of the most common conditions treated by primary-care doctors, occurring in about 5% of adults each year.

But an exhaustive review of existing research studies and clinical trials, published in the Nov. 16 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, turned up no evidence to support prescribing antibiotics for short-term bronchitis.

This is because, the authors stated, almost all cases are viral infections and do not respond to antibiotics.

Dr. Richard Wenzel, chairman of the Department of Internal Medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, said doctors prescribe antibiotics to 70% to 80% of patients with acute bronchitis for treatment lasting five to 10 days.

Wenzel estimated that only a small percentage of acute bronchitis cases might have a bacterial cause necessitating antibiotics.

Doctors say most cases will go away on their own after a few days or a week.