上呼吸道感染

Although viruses are the most likely etiology of URIs and are not amenable to antibiotic treatment, antibiotics continue to be widely prescribed for this illness. Unnecessary adverse effects of antibiotics and development of antimicrobial resistance can be reduced by judicious use of these drugs. In patients with URTIs, antimicrobial therapy generally has been shown to result in symptom resolution 1 to 2 days sooner than when symptomatic measures alone are used. Some high risk patients with underlying pulmonary disease, such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), are more likely to benefit from antibiotics when they develop symptoms consistent with a URTI. Health care providers generally try to educate their patients about the self-limited nature of most URIs and the hazards of inappropriate use of antibiotics for the individual patient and the community.