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2007-9-3 23:09:19 |
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Rapid flu tests can decrease the use of antibiotics among adult hospital patients, says a U.S. study published online in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine. Antibiotics are not effective against influenza and other viruses. The overuse of antibiotics can lead to an increase in antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections, experts say. Previous research found that flu tests that provide results within minutes helped reduce the use of antibiotics in children, but it wasn't clear if this would also be true in adults, CBC News reported. In this new study, researchers at Rochester General Hospital in New York reviewed the cases of 166 adult patients with confirmed influenza. Of those patients, 86 tested positive for flu on rapid diagnostic tests, while 80 tested negative or did not have the test. Of the patients who tested positive for influenza, 86 percent received antibiotics, compared with 99 percent of the other patients, CBC News reported. ----- Last Updated: Jan. 23, 2007 Copyright © 2007 ScoutNews LLC. All rights reserved. |
