Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the main threats for global public health. It is estimated that if it does not take effective measures, by 2050 it could become the main cause of death around the world. However, the estimate of its impact has been complicated for research workers. A new study of the Spanish Society of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology (Seimc) managed to calculate its scope in the country. The work of about 300 microbiologists and minglectologists with cooperation of up to 130 hospitals throughout the territory came to the conclusion 24,582 people died in Spain because of Superbacteria in 2023.
Estimated Seimc, published this week in Lancet Regional Health-Europe, exceeds eight times Those who previously created the Ministry of Health (3,058 deaths), the European Center for Control of Diseases (1,899 deaths) or even who, which limited its impact to 6,220 deaths in 2019.
This difference is caused by the methodology of the Spanish study detected by the physician Rafael Canton, SEIMC spokesman and one of the authors of the report. While international studies were based primarily on literature review, national microbiologists and mingologists have been conducted by three -year study: 2018, 2019 and 2023.
The authors selected patients of up to 130 different hospitals who voluntarily participated. The results showed 155,394 infections in 2018, resulting in 20,065 deaths; 210 451 infections in 2019, causing 17,982 deaths; and 173 653 infections in 2023, with 24 582 deaths thirty days after diagnosis. The infection appeared mainly for the urinary system (42.7% of the total), but the most fatal pneumonia were.
“They are alarming characters,” Kanton values, adding that the consequences are not only at the mortality level, but also have their effects on the economic level: “(patients) must be taken more time, we must use more complex treatment, which also requires the participation of real infectious disease management.”
In addition, “although we have new antimicrobial substances, Always continue the bacteria“The doctor regrets.” They are not only antimicrobial resistant, but also add resistance to others, ”he explains.
According to Canton, “one of the engines why there is resistance to antibiotics is the use of antibiotics”, but incorrect use. Both unnecessary recipes of some doctors and patients themselves have caused bacteria to become increasingly resistant to treatment. “We have to take better care of its use,” the doctor asks.
There are a number of antimicrobial optimization programs with this problem (Proa programs) that monitor “education to improve this use and minimize the risk of selection and dispersion of antimicrobial substances”. In addition to social change, another study is looking for “DTimely from antimicrobial resistors “for which” involvement of microbiologists, laboratories that work 24 hours, seven days a week, 365 days a year are needed to monitor “.
At the same time, the development of new antimicrobial substances is examined. In this respect, “We would like Spain to be on a different level. It is not that there are groups that are little trained, but probably the investment that is carried out in Spain is lower with other countries on our same level,”
