AECOPD – CRP testing reduces antibiotic use

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) have published a Signal highlighting the conclusion of a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine: “CRP-guided prescribing of antibiotics for exacerbations of COPD in primary care clinics resulted in a lower percentage of patients who reported antibiotic use and who received antibiotic prescriptions from clinicians, with no evidence of harm.”

The Signal adds that “This NIHR-funded trial provides strong evidence that a rapid test for raised CRP levels, which occur with serious infection, could help prescribers in primary care make better decisions about who needs antibiotics to treat a flare-up of COPD and who doesn’t.“