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> In 2019, while still at medical school, Ellie began suffering from inflammation in her right eye. All tests for infection came back negative and it was assume
by tekla 1y ago
> In 2019, while still at medical school, Ellie began suffering from inflammation in her right eye. All tests for infection came back negative and it was assumed she had an autoimmune condition.
You know how everyone complains about antibiotic resistance? Yeah, they're not going to give some random antibiotic if they have no idea what something might be.
- londons_explore 1y agoAntibiotic resistance is a problem for society. Infection is a problem for the individual. Modern medical ethics requires you always prioritise the individual over society, which means one should always give antibiotics if the benefits outweigh the downsides for this specific patient, even if that means you might cause antibiotic resistance for everyone else in the future.
- tekla 1y agoWhat is a society if not a collection of individuals? You don't get to complain about antibiotic resistance if at the first sign of an issue you demand a bathing in random antibiotics, especially if you don't even know if you have a bacterial infection in the first place
- Hnrobert42 1y agoAs long as the patient completes the course of antibiotics properly, taking antibiotics should not contribute to antibiotic resistance.
- londons_explore 1y agoI don't think there is much solid science behind that claim. Antibiotic resistance could just as easily first happen in the sewers and other places where there is a lowish concentration of antibiotics.
- Hnrobert42 1y agoI don't think there is much solid science behind that claim.
- TaurenHunter 1y agoYou can't claim to protect society from anything without protecting individuals primarily. Society is not a herd in which you sacrifice an individual to save the rest.
- londons_explore 1y agoIsn't putting a murderer in prison for life exactly that? The prisoner would undoubtedly have a better life if not imprisoned. But society does better if they are imprisoned.
- hkt 1y agoSee also, placing limitations on political and economic power.
- tialaramex 1y agoIf you know they've got an infection then I agree that's a problem and medical ethics would suggest treating it with antibiotics if available. But, they didn't know she had an infection. You're assuming (and indeed US medicine seems to assume this everywhere) that since there don't usually seem to be major negative side effects from antibiotics they're harmless. However we are now confident they're not - lots of interesting things live inside us and whether or not they can cope with antibiotics varies, we're an ecosystem and so this intervention is a massive change to that ecosystem, and while it will usually be justifiable if we know there's an infection if we don't know that's now a gamble.
- oleggromov 1y ago> Antibiotic resistance is a problem for society. Infection is a problem for the individual. Unfortunately not necessarily. For many chronic conditions an individual may very well develop an antibiotic resistant bug. There's even plenty on YouTube about standard penicillins and strep bacteria that start growing right inside the antibiotics. Look it up, it's fascinating.
- BobbyTables2 1y agoTell that to my urologists who put me through 4 courses of different antibiotics while 5 tests for infections were all negative…