Unlabelled: Self-medication with antimicrobial drugs is an important problem in the world and may lead to serious consequences for healthcare systems.
Objective: To evaluate the prevalence and patterns of self-medication with antimicrobial drugs among university students in a Northeast region of Romania.
Material And Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted to collect data from medical and non-medical students who lived in residence halls. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the chi-square test, when applicable.
Results: Out of the 320 questionnaires distributed, a total of 281 students completed and returned the questionnaires. Among these, 115 (41%) respondents admitted to have used at least one antibiotic in the six months prior to the survey, 44% of whom did not seek medical advice (irrational self-medication). The most common antimicrobial drugs used for self-medication were amoxicillin (37%), amoxicillin-clavulanate (33%), ciprofloxacin and penicillin (14%) and the most frequently reported reasons for self-medication were respiratory and oral infections (31%), common cold (25%), and genitourinary infections (20%). Some students mentioned the use of more than one antimicrobial drug, for more than one disease.
Conclusions: self-medication with antimicrobial drugs is a relatively common practice among students in Romania. This suggests the need for interventions to prevent the irrational use of antimicrobial drugs, such as the implementation of national programs for public education regarding the risks and consequences for the health of irrational use of antimicrobials.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Antibacterials with Novel Chemical Scaffolds in Clinical Development.
Drugs
January 2025
Department of Chemical Biology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Inhoffenstraße 7, 38124, Braunschweig, Germany.
The rise of antimicrobial resistance represents a significant global health threat, driven by the diminishing efficacy of existing antibiotics, a lack of novel antibacterials entering the market, and an over- or misuse of existing antibiotics, which accelerates the evolution of resistant bacterial strains. This review focuses on innovative therapies by highlighting 19 novel antibacterials in clinical development as of June 2024. These selected compounds are characterized by new chemical scaffolds, novel molecular targets, and/or unique mechanisms of action, which render their potential to break antimicrobial resistance particularly high.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAntibiotics for Paediatric Community-Acquired Pneumonia: What is the Optimal Course Duration?
Paediatr Drugs
January 2025
Child and Maternal Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, Australia.
Despite significant global reductions in cases of pneumonia during the last 3 decades, pneumonia remains the leading cause of post-neonatal mortality in children aged <5 years. Beyond the immediate disease burden it imposes, pneumonia contributes to long-term morbidity, including lung function deficits and bronchiectasis. Viruses are the most common cause of childhood pneumonia, but bacteria also play a crucial role.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAntifungal susceptibility testing and determination of local epidemiological cut-off values for species isolated from women with vulvovaginal candidiasis.
Microbiol Spectr
January 2025
Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, "Attikon" University General Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
The lack of clinical breakpoints and epidemiological cut-off values (ECOFFs) for antifungals prescribed for vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) make interpretation of antifungal susceptibility data difficult. This leads to empirical prescribing, poor clinical management and emergence of resistance. The susceptibilities of 152 , 105 , 31 and 8 VVC isolates against eight antifungals, were determined according to the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) E.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMolecular Epidemiology and Antifungal Susceptibility Profile of Candidozyma Isolates From Argentina.
Mycoses
January 2025
Departamento Micología-Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Infecciosas "Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán", Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Background: Epidemiological surveillance of Candidozyma sp. has become important because many species of this new genus have been reported to be responsible for nosocomial outbreaks and to exhibit elevated minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) to one or more classes of antifungal drugs.
Objectives: To describe the genetic relationships among Argentinian clinical isolates belonging to the Candidozyma genus and to study the molecular mechanisms associated with antifungal resistance.
A global review of national guidelines of post-exposure prophylaxis for the prevention of HIV.
J Int AIDS Soc
January 2025
Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Alfred Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Introduction: The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the use of antiretroviral drugs as post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for preventing HIV acquisition for occupational and non-occupational exposures. To inform the development of global WHO recommendations on PEP, we reviewed national guidelines of PEP for their recommendations.
Methods: Policies addressing PEP from 38 WHO HIV priority countries were obtained by searching governmental and non-governmental websites and consulting country and regional experts; these countries were selected based on HIV burden, new HIV acquisitions and the number of HIV-associated deaths.
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!