CKS is no longer commissioned by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). NICE remains committed to providing a replacement service for CKS and is currently reviewing its options. In the meantime, although CKS content is now not being maintained, it still remains relevant and will continue to be made available. CKS content was generated under a programme of topic creation and update. To check if the topic you are viewing is current or out of date, please refer to the topic publication details by clicking on the 'How up-to-date is this topic?' link in the left hand menu on individual topic pages.
Chest infections - adult - Management
Information on why antibiotics are not necessary
- For a person with acute bronchitis who has no pre-existing conditions, it may be helpful to cover the following issues when discussing the role of antibiotics:
- Acute bronchitis is a self-limiting condition that will usually resolve without treatment within 3 weeks.
- Antibiotics are unlikely to significantly increase their rate of recovery.
- Antibiotics are almost as likely to give them an adverse effect as any benefit.
- Antibiotics interact with certain medications, such as the contraceptive pill and warfarin.
- Widespread use of antibiotics for self-limiting conditions contributes to increased antibiotic resistance, reducing antibiotic effectiveness against more serious conditions.
© NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement