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. 2024 Sep 29;12(5):150.
doi: 10.3390/pharmacy12050150.

Study on the Consumption of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs and Antibiotics by the Brazilian Adult Population: A Cohort Study

Douglas Araujo Pedrolongo  1 , Fernanda Teixeira Sagioneti  1 , Giovana Maria Weckwerth  1 , Gabriela Moraes Oliveira  1   2 , Carlos Ferreira Santos  1   2 , Adriana Maria Calvo  1
Affiliations

Study on the Consumption of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs and Antibiotics by the Brazilian Adult Population: A Cohort Study

Douglas Araujo Pedrolongo et al. Pharmacy (Basel). .

Abstract

Self-medication without a medical or dental prescription is an action that leads to a significant problems associated with the overuse of medication in Brazil. The inappropriate use of antibiotics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) leads to problems related to microbial agent resistance and gastrointestinal complications. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the patterns of antibiotic and NSAIDs consumption among the adult population of Brazil. The questionnaire was answered by 400 people residing in Brazil who had access to the link in the year 2023. The findings showed that approximately 89.5% of the volunteers had used NSAIDs, and 32.2% had used antibiotics whether or not these medications had been prescribed by doctors or dentists. It was noted that a large proportion of the adverse effects reported by the volunteers involved symptoms related to gastrointestinal complaints. There was a high prevalence of NSAIDs consumption in the studied population, which is consistent with the high frequency of risk of adverse reactions caused by these drugs, particularly in the gastrointestinal tract. In relation to antibiotics, it was observed that the non-prescription consumption of these medications by the population was considered high, reaching one-third of the total number of volunteers who consumed such medications.

Keywords: anti-bacterial agents; anti-inflammatory agents; drug prescriptions; non-steroidal; prescription drug misuse.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Relation of responses from volunteers who had or had not used anti-inflammatory/analgesic drugs and antibiotics in the last 90 days before the questionnaire (prescribed or not by medical doctors or dental surgeons).
Figure 2
Figure 2
List of NSAIDs consumed by the volunteers, with independent percentages between groups.
Figure 3
Figure 3
List of antibiotics consumed by the volunteers, with independent percentages between groups.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Adverse effects related to the consumption of NSAIDs and antibiotics.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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