TWO types of commonly-prescribed antibiotics could put patients at risk of dangerous skin rashes, a new study warns. Scientists say the pills, used to treat conditions like UTIs and pneumonia, can lead to side effects with life-threatening consequences. They are now urging doctors to use lower-risk alternatives.
Researchers looked at data from more than 100,000 people aged 66 and over who were prescribed oral antibiotics at least once between 2002 and 2022 in Ontario, Canada . Within 60 days of taking the drugs, 21,758 patients visited A&E or were hospitalised due to severe skin rashes, known as cutaneous adverse drug reactions (cADRs), which can also affect the organs. These can appear straight after taking a medication, or sometimes weeks later.
Scientists found there were two cADR-related hospital visits for every 1,000 antibiotic prescriptions dispensed, and about one in eight patients who visited A&E with antibiotic-related cADRs were hospitalised. Of those who were admitted, 20 per cent were treated in the ICU, and five per cent died. A fifth of hospitalised patients with the most severe reactions were treated in a critical care unit, and they had an in-hospital mortality rate of 20 per cent.
Serious cADRs usually start with red, scaly patches that are itchy and can feel like they're burning, but they can trigger dangerous immune system reactions if left untreated. Most read in Health This includes drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS), Stevens-J.