Researchers studied 118,496 acne patients, 71.7 percent of which had been prescribed topical or oral antibiotics for one year. They found during that time 15.4 percent suffered at least one upper respiratory tract infection.
Dr. David J. Margolis of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and his colleagues report in the Archives of Dermatology
The exact reason why antibiotic use increases the risk of infectious disease remains unclear, Margolis notes. His team previously found patients taking antibiotics were more likely to carry Group A streptococcus bacteria in the pharynx.
Margolis and his colleagues are currently investigating whether acne patients who are taking antibiotics are more likely to test positive for other types of bacteria.
