A finger prick blood test could help prevent unnecessary prescription of antibiotics in patients with COPD

According to a new study by researchers from Cardiff University, Oxford University and King's College London, a simple finger-prick blood test could help to prevent unnecessary prescription of antibiotics to people with lung disorders.

With funding from the National Institute of Health Research, the team has demonstrated that using a blood test for CRP sampling allowed 20% fewer people to get better results. Use antibiotics for COPD flare-ups.

It is important to note that this reduction in the use of antibiotics did not have a negative effect on patient recovery during the first two weeks following their consultation with the general practitioner nor on their well-being or use of health services during the next six months.

Safely reducing the use of antibiotics in this way can help fight against antibiotic resistance.

In the UK, more than one million people have COPD, a lung disease badociated with smoking and other environmental pollutants. People living with this disease often experience exacerbations or relapses, and when this happens, three out of four antibiotics are prescribed. However, two thirds of these outbreaks are not caused by bacterial infections and antibiotics often do not benefit patients.

Professor Nick Francis, Cardiff University School of Medicine, said: "Governments, commissioners, clinicians, and patients with COPD around the world are urgently looking for tools to help them navigate the world. know when to keep antibiotics safe and focuses on treating sudden outbreaks with other treatments.

"This patient population is often considered to be at high risk of not receiving antibiotics, but we have been able to reduce the use of antibiotics about twice as much as most others. antimicrobial management interventions, and we have shown that this approach is safe. "

The finger prick test measures the amount of C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation that increases rapidly in the blood in response to serious infections. People with a COPD flare and having low levels of CRP in the blood seem to draw only a small benefit from antibiotic treatment.

Professor Chris Butler, from Oxford University, said:

This rigorous clinical trial directly addresses the pressing problems of; preserve the utility of our existing antibiotics; the potential of stratified personalized care; the importance of appropriate contextual evidence on point-of-care testing to reduce the unnecessary use of antibiotics; improving the quality of care for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Most antibiotics are prescribed in primary health care and many of these prescriptions are not beneficial to patients: the place of treatment tests are vigorously promoted as an essential solution for a better prescription targeted antibiotics. However, there has been virtually no point-of-use testing to measure the impact on the clinician's behavior, patient behavior, and outcomes. Acute exacerbations of chronic lung diseases represent a considerable proportion of the unnecessary use of antibiotics, but a satisfactory solution to the ambulatory care problem (where most antibiotics are prescribed) has not been identified until now. Our first attempt to manage AECOPD by biomarkers in ambulatory care revealed an effect that should change practice. "

Jonathan Bidmead and Margaret Barnard were patient and public representatives of the PACE study. They allowed COPD patients to be heard: Jonathan Bidmead said:

We need to highlight not only the number of people saved by antibiotics, but also the fact that many of them are harmed by unnecessary use of antibiotics. As a patient with COPD, I know that antibiotics are used consistently at the first sign of an exacerbation: this study showed that doctors can use a simple finger prick test during a consultation to better identify cases where the antibiotics will probably not help. can even hurt. This can help us focus on other treatments that may be more useful against certain exacerbations. "

Professor Hywel Williams, Director of the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Program of the INDH, said: "It is a very study of important that clearly proves that a simple blood test with the help of biomarkers, performed as part of general practice operations, in affected individuals may reduce the unnecessary prescription of antibiotics without harming the recovery, which helps reduce the health risks of antimicrobial resistance around the world.

"The NIHR is engaged in research in areas where health needs are most acute, such as antimicrobial resistance.This study is one of many that we have funded in recent years in this crucial area, as part of our ongoing efforts to combat this global threat. "