IRRATIONAL USE OF ANTIBIOTICS BY THE POPULATION OF THE NORTHEAST REGION: CAUSES, CONSEQUENCES AND CHALLENGES FOR PUBLIC HEALTH IN BRAZIL

Abstract

This study analyzes the factors that contribute to the irrational use of antibiotics and its implications for public health, focusing on the Northeast Region of Brazil between 2020 and 2024. It is a documentary, descriptive, and quantitative study that used secondary data from official platforms such as DATASUS, bulletins from the Ministry of Health, ANVISA, and a systematic literature review. The results reveal that antimicrobial consumption, driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, reached historical peaks, with a sales of azithromycin in Northeast Brazil increasing by over 60% in 2020. As a direct consequence, an acceleration of bacterial resistance was observed, marked by the epidemiological transition of genes and an increase in infections by multidrug-resistant pathogens in hospitals in the region, predominantly affecting the elderly population. The analysis identified self-medication, inappropriate prescribing, and structural failures in Primary Care as central causes of the problem, in addition to a critical gap in consumption surveillance from 2022 onwards. It is concluded that the irrational use of antibiotics represents a public health emergency, confirming the hypothesis that this behavior is a direct driver of bacterial resistance, which requires a coordinated and urgent response to preserve the therapeutic efficacy of antimicrobials.