Acne antibiotics increase risk of upper respiratory tract infection

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

People on long-term antibiotics for acne have twice the risk of upper respiratory tract infection.
There is increasing concern over antibiotic resistance caused by over-prescription of antibiotics. In this context, it is of interest to look at the risk of other infections in those on long-term antibiotics. A team at the University of Pennsylvania therefore looked at a group who was using antibiotics for the treatment of acne.

Around 70 per cent of the group had been on antibiotics for six weeks or more. In the group as a whole, 15 per cent had an upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) during the first year of the study. Those on the long-term antibiotics turned out to have twice the risk of developing a URTI compared to those not on long-term treatment. The findings suggest that people on long-term antibiotic treatment for acne could be a good model population for studying antibiotic resistance.

Source
Archives of Dermatology September 2005

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