Coughs take longer to clear up than people think
(Reuters) - Coughs usually take longer to clear up than people think, and the gap between how long people expect them to last and how long it actually takes may drive some patients to the doctor for antibiotics that won't help, according to a U.S. study.（路透社）-咳嗽康复的时间通常比人们认为的时间更长。根据美国某机构的研究，这种人们预期咳嗽康复的时间与咳嗽真正康复的时间的差距可能会导致一些病人向医生抱怨抗生素对他们根本没用。
Researchers in the U.S. state of Georgia wrote in the Annals of Family Medicine that survey respondents tended to expect their cough to be gone in about a week, but a review of cough studies shows the hacking takes about three weeks to clear up.
来自美国佐治亚州的研究者在家庭医学年鉴中写道：实验的调查对象趋向于预期他们咳嗽康复的时间为一周左右，而有关咳嗽的医学研究表明咳嗽实际康复的时间大概为三周。
The team, led by Mark Ebell from the University of Georgia in Athens, said they were concerned that patients' unrealistic expectations could lead them to ask doctors for antibiotics that won't speed their recovery, but will fuel drug resistance, cost money and increase the risk of side effects.
由来自雅典的佐治亚大学Mark Ebell带领的团队表示，病人的这种不切实际的预期会使他们向医生提出增加抗生素的用量，而抗生素用量的增加却并不会加快他们的康复，反而会增强病毒的抗药性，让他们浪费更多钱以及产生更多的副作用。
"Efforts to reduce inappropriate antibiotic use should target this discrepancy, " the authors wrote, referring to unrealistic patient expectations.
以一些不切实际的病人的预期作为参考，作者写道“应着力于解决这个矛盾可以减少抗生素使用过量的情况。”
"We're not trying to discourage people from getting care if they feel they need it, but at the same time we want to give them the confidence to give themselves care in situations when it's appropriate, " said Ebell.
Ebell说：“我们并不是试图在病人感觉他们需要抗生素的时候阻止他们得到这种医疗帮助，而是希望在抗生素的用量适度的时候他们依旧能保持信心。”
For the study, Ebell and his colleagues did a telephone survey of 493 adults in George about how long they'd expect a cough to last based on a hypothetical situation: if they had a 100.5 degree Fahrenheit (38 degree Celsius) fever and were bringing up yellow mucous.
为了这个调查，Ebell和他的同事在佐治亚州做了电话调查。他们询问了493个成年人在假设他们处于38℃（100.5℉）高烧以及呕吐黄色粘液的情况下对于咳嗽持续时间的预期。从总体上讲，人们预期咳嗽康复的时间在7到9天。
The team then reviewed 19 previous studies on severe coughs that recorded how long the condition actually lasted. In those studies, it took a cough — on average — 17.8 days to subside.
之后，Ebell的团队又对19个有关严重咳嗽症状实际持续时间的记录进行了研究。他们发现，咳嗽实际康复的时间平均为17.8天。
"I think it is important to understand that if you do get a cough you're probably going to be coughing for about three weeks, " said Jeffrey Linder, who was not involved in the study but has done similar research.
未参与此次研究而在之前做过类似研究的Jeffrey Linder说：“我认为当你患有咳嗽的症状时，明白你咳嗽的症状在接下来的三周持续是很重要的。”
"Also, there is evidence out there that getting an antibiotic at any point in the course is not going to make it shorter, " added Linder, an associate professor at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston.
身为布里格姆妇产医院及哈佛大学医学院副教授的Linder补充道：“有证据表明在治疗阶段的任何时候服用抗生素都不会使咳嗽康复的时间缩短。”
According to the researchers, about 50 percent of patients with an acute cough in 2006 were prescribed an antibiotic. But most respiratory infections are caused by viruses, while antibiotics only affect bacteria.
根据调查，在2006年约有50%患有严重咳嗽的患者都服用过抗生素。但是大多数的呼吸疾病都是由于病毒所引起的，而抗生素只对细菌起作用。
Ebell said that patients should call their doctors if they bring up blood when they cough or are short of breath, while Linder said they should also do so if their cough lasts longer than a month or gets worse.
Ebell提醒当病人出现咳血或是呼吸困难的症状时，他们应该马上告知他们的医生。若是咳嗽持续了一个月或以上时，最好也告知他们的医生一下。
"There are over-the-counter things I recommend to people to feel better, but the main treatment is time, " he said.
Ebell说：“我给病人一些非处方的东西能使他们感觉好些，但是主要的治疗方法是时间。”
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