Introduction
Colds are omnipresent, especially in certain seasons. Every adult in Germany gets it on average two to four times a year, children even more frequently. To date, there are still no medications that reliably combat a cold or prevent it in advance.
Many patients still believe that they have to take an antibiotic in the hope of getting well again as quickly as possible. But the effectiveness of antibiotics for colds is controversial. An antibiotic only helps in rare cases to get rid of the cold faster.
In addition, antibiotics often have unpleasant side effects. In addition, the number of bacteria that are resistant to certain antibiotics continues to increase. Another possible avoidable cause of this trend is the unnecessary prescription of antibiotics, for example for colds.
Are antibiotics useful?
The term antibiotic simply refers to a substance that kills microorganisms. In general medical terminology, however, antibiotics are substances that kill bacteria or restrict their reproduction. But antibiotics do not work with viruses!
The problem with colds, however, is that an estimated 98% of colds are caused by viruses alone. The most common pathogens are the so-called parainfluenza, rhino or adenoviruses. This leads to the conclusion that for 98% of colds, antibiotics simply do not help and can even cause unpleasant side effects. Only in very few cases (about 2%) antibiotics have a positive effect. (See superinfection) These articles may also be of interest to you:
- Medicines for colds
- Household remedy for a cold
- Colds caused by bacteria
When should antibiotics be used?
In certain cases, antibiotics must also be taken when a cold occurs. The cold itself is almost always caused by viruses, but in rare cases it can develop into a so-called superinfection, in which a bacterial infection is added to the viral infection. It is estimated that this affects one in fifty people with a cold.
The bacteria can multiply particularly well because the immune system is already weakened by the existing viral infection. This can lead to sinusitis, bronchitis, otitis media or severe sore throat (pharyngitis). Whether treatment with antibiotics is necessary in such cases should still be decided individually by a doctor.
A frequent reason for prescribing antibiotics is an inflammation of the tonsils (tonsillitis) due to bacterial colonization, which occurs particularly frequently in childhood. In addition, antibiotics must be prescribed by a doctor if pneumonia is present. However, these diseases usually have clear symptoms that can easily be distinguished from a cold. These include, for example, fever above 38°C, an increased breathing rate with shortness of breath and an increased pulse rate.
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