Page 6 — Healthy Cells Magazine — East Valley — March 2014

Antibiotic Resistance and What ItMeans to the General Population

By Martin Fekete, DHSc, CSP, SPHR, National Professional Employer Organization

Over the years we have heard many news stories about antibiotic resistant bacteria such as staphylococcus aureus (SA), which is commonly referred to as “staph” infection. This and numerous

other bacteria have evolved over the years and have resulted in strains of bacteria that are now antibiotic resistant. Recent news stories have surfaced throughout the country about people who have contracted these bacterial infections and died. The two most commonly publicized resistant bacteria strains are MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococ-cus aureus) and VRSA (vancomycin-resistant staphylococcus aureus). Most public health officials, doctors, and research scientists fear that the increasing growth of these drug-resistant bacteria will eventually result in full antibiotic resistance, making current treatments completely ineffective. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), approximately two million people in the U.S. are affected by these serious infections annually. It is estimated that another 23,000 die each year directly from these resistant infections. An additional amount die from the complica-tions associated with the antibiotic resistance. Although the total eco-nomic impact is difficult to estimate, public health officials place the range somewhere around $20–$35 billion annually (2008 estimates). The ongoing development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is also putting a strain on an already overburdened health care system. So now that we know the cost and impact to our health care system, how can the average health consumer protect their health and reduce this develop-ing crisis?

What is Antibiotic Resistance? Antibiotic resistance is really nothing but an evolutionary process. This process of evolution occurs continuously throughout nature. How-ever, due to the cell division of bacteria and its fast growth rate, they

pass along their drug resistance to new cells quickly. One of the main underlying problems in modern society has been the overuse of antibi-otics for every medical treatment. Due to this overuse, we have seen a significant increase in drug-resistant bacteria. The CDC estimates that 50 million courses of antibiotics prescribed annually are unnecessary.

Who is at Risk? Since an estimated two million people in the U.S. are affected by these infections annually, what specific target groups are at a higher risk? The decreased effectiveness of antibiotics to fight infections not only hinders our ability to fight routine infections, it complicates the treatment of other diseases that are typically associated with high infec-tion rates. For example, patients experiencing any type of treatments or surgeries, such as joint replacement, cancer therapy, or organ trans-plants, are at a much greater risk. Patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes, arthritis, or asthma can all be affected adversely and even face life-threatening conditions. In response to this growing concern, many health care facilities have adopted mandatory face mask usage for the staff and patients' families and visitors. Additionally, antibiotic safety for the general population is being implemented by health care facilities and public health officials through public awareness campaigns and advertisements. Legislators are re-viewing options to restrict antibiotic usage through possible regula-tory actions and through recommendations issued by the Centers for Disease Control to all health care providers on the appropriate use of antibiotics. In many instances, this overuse may not only result in a resistance, but can, in many cases, cause adverse drug interactions. A general example, which the CDC surveys, is emergency depart-ment visits. The CDC estimates that “antibiotics are responsible for almost 1 out of every 5 emergency department visits for adverse drug

physical

Martin S. Fekete,DHSc, CSP, SPHR

March 2014 — East Valley — Healthy Cells Magazine — Page 7

events.” The public needs to understand that antibiotics are powerful drugs and highly effective in fighting various diseases. However, there are times when antibiotics can be harmful and dangerous. The three main concerns that the general public needs to be aware of relating to antibiotics are:1. Antibiotics can have side effects, including allergic reaction. They

may also interfere with medications the patient is taking for other medical conditions.

2. Over-use of antibiotics when not truly necessary can result in drug side effects

3. Over-use can build a resistance against that antibiotic resulting in less effective antibiotic treatments in the future.

In conclusion, drug resistance is an evolutionary response to the use of antibiotics and is a natural process. However, the over-use of antibiotics and the ability of bacterial cells to reproduce and transfer their drug resistance characteristics to new cells have created a seri-ous health care challenge. The Centers for Disease Control has is-sued recommendations on fighting back antibiotic resistance. Some of these efforts involve infection prevention through proper hygiene; establishing antibiotic resistant reporting and tracking programs that quantifies drug resistant occurrences and provides rates for response and planning purposes; and improving antibiotic prescription practices through issued recommendations and education referred to as "anti-biotic stewardship.” Finally, ongoing developments in new drugs, di-agnostic tests, and research into drug resistance and its evolutionary process are also in process. As medical and scientific advancements continue, new drugs and treatment alternatives will be developed. However, the main challenge to society will be preventing the overuse of these new medications,

which is the cause of our current drug-resistant dilemma. The public awareness of drug resistance and health care provider involvement in practicing antibiotic stewardship should significantly reduce and elimi-nate our current drug resistance challenge.

Dr. Martin Fekete is Director of Human Resources and Risk Man-agement at National PEO, LLC. a professional employer organization devoted to assisting small and medium businesses. He is also a mem-ber of the American College of Epidemiology.

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