SALT LAKE CITY — Nearly one-third of antibiotics prescribed in the U.S. are inappropriate and unnecessary, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published Wednesday.

Dr. Andrew Hersh, a University of Utah pediatric infectious diseases doctor and one of the authors of the report, called antibiotic overuse "one of the most important public health threats we face."

Overuse of antibiotics leads to a number of short- and long-term problems, according to Hersh. The biggest consequence has been the diminishing efficacy of antibiotics, resulting in the rise of so-called "superbugs."

The increasing resistance of microbes to antibiotics is not new information for public health officials, "but what is alarming is the human cost," Hersh said in an email. "Many thousands of patients die each year due to resistant infections that in the past may not have occurred or might have been more easily treated."

It's a problem that has had disturbing — even deadly — consequences in Utah.

Last year, the Utah Department of Health recorded 90 cases of infection from so-called carbapenem resistant enterobacteriaceae — a particularly dangerous bacteria resistant to almost every known antibiotic. At least 61 of those cases resulted in hospitalization and at least 13 resulted in death.

In 2014, the health department identified 48 cases, 26 hospitalizations and 11 deaths.

Public health officials say the upward trend is concerning.

Karen Singson, antimicrobial resistance prevention program manager for the Utah Department of Health, said options "become very limited" with the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

"It’s important to realize that our behaviors affect our whole community," Singson said. "A lot of people think, 'Big deal if I go to the doctor and get a prescription for bronchitis or a viral infection,' but as I increase my resistance, that also increases the community’s resistance pattern. So it’s not limited to my own behavior."

Nationwide

The CDC, Pew Charitable Trusts and other researchers found that doctors and emergency departments gave out 154 million prescriptions for antibiotics between 2010 and 2011.

About 30 percent were deemed unnecessary, according to their findings, which were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Of the unnecessary prescriptions, 44 percent were written for acute respiratory conditions like sinus infections, colds and bronchitis. Many of these illnesses are viral, meaning they do not respond to antibiotics and should not be treated with them, researchers said.

Doctors often end up prescribing antibiotics unnecessarily because they don't always know whether an infection is viral or bacterial, Hersh said. Many think it may be a safer bet to prescribe antibiotics just in case.

In other instances, doctors feel that patients won't be satisfied unless they leave the office with a prescription, even if their sickness may be resolved without antibiotics.

Problems for children

Research now shows that overuse of antibiotics may also lead to longer term health problems for young children such as allergies and asthma, Hersh said.

The study showed that antibiotics are prescribed to young children under the age of 2 at a higher rate than any other age group.

The issue has caught the attention of public health agencies as well as the White House, which released an action plan last year to reduce inappropriate outpatient antibiotic use by half by 2020.

Intermountain Healthcare has also pledged to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use as part of its antimicrobial stewardship program. Email: dchen@deseretnews.com Twitter: DaphneChen_

Related topics