Antibiotic Resistance in the Elderly - Antibiotic Resistance in the Elderly - Open Access Pub

This is a short communication article on antibiotic resistance in the elderly. The elderly is prone to infections and therefore the use of antibiotics in the elderly is common. Literature review was done using Medline, Google and PubMed. DOI10.14302/issn.2474-7785.jarh-16-1396 Antibiotic resistance is one of the global leading problems facing medicine as many micro-organisms are developing resistance to antibiotic they were previously sensitive to. This has a lot of impact on the health care. Resistance to drugs including antibiotics impacts negatively on the quality of life of the patients. Antibiotic resistance is a very important healthcare issue that has significant implication for the patient and the society1,3. A significant proportion of health resources are consumed by elderly persons4,5. The rapid emergence of resistant bacteria is occurring worldwide therefore endangering the efficacy of antibiotics. One of the problems causing antibiotic resistance is the misuse of these drugs as in some countries they can be purchased over the counter without a doctor’s prescription therefore the correct dose and duration cannot be guaranteed. The emerging problem of antibiotic resistance is a serious threat to global public health6 and a problem in nursing homes therefore threatening the ability to treat infections7. Antibiotic resistance is a problem in nursing homes7. Geriatric facilities are reservoirs for multidrug resistant organisms and other nosocomial pathogens8. What Is Antibiotic Resistance? Antibiotic resistance is the ability of bacteria not to be susceptible to antibiotic that means the bacteria can no longer be killed or stop growing to an antibiotic that previously kills it or stops it from multiplying when the antibiotic is administered in the correct dose, route or administration and frequency. Antibiotic Use in the Elderly Antibiotics are the most widely used and misused agents and this contributes to the huge growing global problem of loss of efficacy due to resistance. Inappropriate use of antibiotics is the key driver in antibiotic resistance1. Whenever antibiotics are taken, resistant bacteria are not killed only bacteria that are susceptible to the antibiotic are killed. Infections in the Elderly Infections to which the elderly patients were particularly vulnerable are respiratory tract infections (for example bronchitis, bacteria pneumonia, influenza), urinary tract infections (particularly clostridium difficile) and acute bacteria skin and soft tissue infections2,8. The elderly is susceptible to infections because: They have a