TWO types of commonly-prescribed antibiotics could put patients at risk of dangerous skin rashes, a new study warns.
Scientists say the pills, used to treat conditions like UTIs and pneumonia, can lead to side effects with life-threatening consequences.
They are now urging doctors to use lower-risk alternatives.
Researchers looked at data from more than 100,000 people aged 66 and over who were prescribed oral antibiotics at least once between 2002 and 2022 in Ontario, Canada.
Within 60 days of taking the drugs, 21,758 patients visited A&E or were hospitalised due to severe skin rashes, known as cutaneous adverse drug reactions (cADRs), which can also affect the organs.
These can appear straight after taking a medication, or sometimes weeks later.
Scientists found there were two cADR-related hospital visits for every 1,000 antibiotic prescriptions dispensed, and about one in eight patients who visited A&E with antibiotic-related cADRs were hospitalised.
Of …