Be careful with antibiotics, be careful with your intestines. They save lives, but can cause irreparable damage to health.
Take antibiotics improve the quality of life of many people and, in other cases, even salva even the lives of patients.
But antibiotics can cause irreparable damage in health, especially in intestine.
The reinforcement is given by gastroenterologist Carolina Palmela, within the scope of World Antibiotic Use Awareness Week, promoted by the World Health Organization
Antibiotics, even when used to treat a non-gastrointestinal infection, lead to imbalance of intestinal microorganisms and a potential increase in bacteria that are harmful to health.
The harmful effects of antibiotics on the gastrointestinal system can be divided into short- and medium-long-term effects, such as diarrhea (due to changes in the intestinal microbiota) and intestinal dysbiosis. The longer the treatment, the greater the risk of diarrhea.
Os antibiotics eliminate groups of beneficial bacteria – lactobacilli and bifidobacteria – and this can increase the number of pathogenic bacteria, such as Clostridioides difficile.
“Depending on the patient, diarrhea may appear early, in the first few days, preventing antibiotic treatment from being completed, or later, from the sixth, seventh day of therapy. Even in individuals who do not develop diarrhea after taking antibiotics, the majority develop intestinal dysbiosis (imbalance), which could lead to important consequences in the medium-long term”, explains the doctor, in a statement sent to ZAP.
Carolina Palmela calls for the correct use of antibiotics: Use only when indicated – high suspicion or confirmation of a bacterial infection. AND without taking more or for longer than indicated.
Most infections are viral, especially in children; and no need to take antibiotics.
Despite constant warnings – including here at – most people, and also healthcare professionals, are not alert enough for the incidence of diarrhea associated with antibiotics and the potential short and long-term side effects associated with intestinal dysbiosis, warns the gastroenterologist.
And only 10-60% of antibiotic prescriptions are associated with the joint prescription of a probiotic. “However, in Portugal, the consumption of antibiotics is high and the consumption of probiotics is low”, he warns.
Diarrhea associated with dysbiosis caused by taking antibiotics often prevents the patient from completing treatment.
Changes in the intestinal microbiota “can persist for weeks after the end of the antibiotic, there is even the possibility of a no full return to the healthy flora that existed before treatment.”
