Residents at long-term care communities who had a documented penicillin allergy were 95% less likely to receive beta-lactam antibiotics — the kind often preferred for many infections — researchers reported in a study published Tuesday in Antimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare Epidemiology.
Using alternative antibiotics, including broad-spectrum antibiotics, often leads to suboptimal treatment outcomes, more antibiotic use and an increased risk of antimicrobial resistance, the authors wrote.
Scientists at Tufts University and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health assessed data on antibiotic prescriptions and penicillin allergies at 20 long-term care communities across the state.
Of the 2,345 residents in the study, 19.1% had received an antibiotic and 34.7% of them had documented penicillin allergies. Urinary tract infections were the reason behind 45.4% of prescriptions, while 29.2% of antibiotics were given for respiratory tract infections, and 18.5% were for skin and soft tissue infections. Beta-lactams were given in 45.5% of cases when an antibiotic was prescribed. Beta-lactams are the preferred treatment for many infectious syndromes, the authors noted.
Previous research has shown that penicillin allergy labels often are inaccurate, which can result in use of broader-spectrum antibiotics that come with a higher risk for side effects and can contribute to antimicrobial resistance.
“Inaccurate penicillin allergy labeling poses a critical health threat in this vulnerable population because older individuals are more susceptible to mortality from multidrug-resistant infections and adverse effects from broad-spectrum antibiotics,” the authors wrote.
