Cefuroxime: Uses And Precautions

If we have ever suffered from an ear or throat infection, or even a urine infection, the doctor may have prescribed cefuroxime to treat these discomforts.

Cefuroxime is an antibiotic drug that belongs to the cephalosporin family. Specifically, it is a second generation cephalosporin. But what does that mean?

What are antibiotics?

It is essential to understand this term well in order to understand how cefuroxime works and what is its origin. Therefore, the term antibiotic refers to chemical substances produced by a living being or synthetic derivatives of them that kill or prevent the growth of certain classes of sensitive microorganisms.

Also, they are called antibacterials since, in general, they are used to fight infections caused by bacteria. In this way, they aim to eradicate or kill the bacteria or inhibit its growth.

For this, they present different mechanisms of action. Some affect protein synthesis; others, to the DNA and others, to the cell wall, for example.

According to the mechanism of action they trigger, they are classified into one family or another. In the present case, cefuroxime belongs to the beta-lactam family, which we will see later.

Finally, it is worth mentioning the importance of avoiding self-medication with antibiotics. This practice is a serious personal and public health problem.

Beta-lactams

Beta-lactams are antibiotics that owe their action to their ability to inhibit the synthesis of peptidoglycan from the cell wall. Specifically, they inhibit the transpeptidation process.

For this, it is necessary that they enter the cell so that they can have their effect. Once inside, they bind to penicicline-binding proteins.

The antibiotics that belong to this group are narrow-spectrum drugs, that is, they are only effective against gram + bacteria. In addition, they are bactericidal, which means that they kill the pathogen.

On the other hand, they are drugs that can be administered both orally and parenterally. They have a good safety profile and, although they can cross the placenta, they are used as drugs of choice in pregnancy due to their good safety profile.

Among the most used we find:

• Penicillins
• Cephalosporins: is the group to which cefuroxime belongs.
• Monobactams: active against gram – bacteria.

What is cefuroxime for?

First, it bears repeating that cefuroxime is part of the cephalosporin subfamily; that is to say, antibiotics similar to penicillin but that, unlike it, have a better action against certain bacteria, as pointed out by the Journal of the Faculty of Medicine of Caracas, Venezuela.

Basically, cefuroxime is used to treat infections caused by bacteria that are susceptible to beta-lactam antibiotics. For this reason, it has antimicrobial activity against microorganisms such as:

• Haemophilus influenzae.
• Neisseria gonorrhoeae.
• Borrelia burgdoferi .

It is indicated when this type of bacteria triggers an infection in the ears, throat, paranasal sinuses, urinary tract and even on the skin.

Adverse reactions

Like other cephalosporins, the administration of cefuroxime can trigger a number of adverse effects. Normally, those of a gastrointestinal nature predominate, such as:

• Malaise .
• Stomach ache.
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea.

As a curiosity, some patients who suffer from allergy to cephalosporins have been detected in around 10% of the population allergic to penicillins. However, a cross allergy between penicillin and cefuroxime and other second and newer generation cephalosporins has not been demonstrated.

Precautions for use of cefuroxime

When administering this antibiotic, it is important to bear in mind that there are a number of population groups for whom the effect of cefuroxime could cause serious problems. Among these situations that require special precaution we can mention:

• Hypersensitivity reactions : before starting treatment, it should be established whether the patient has a history of severe hypersensitivity reactions to cefuroxime, other cephalosporins or any beta-lactam agent. Caution is advised if cefuroxime is administered to patients with a history of non-severe hypersensitivity to other beta-lactam agents.
• Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction: This reaction could be triggered after treatment of Lyme disease with cefuroxime. The reaction is caused directly by the bactericidal activity of cefuroxime on the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdoferi .
• Overgrowth of non-sensitive micro-organisms : the use of cefuroxime could lead to a superinfection caused by Candida . In addition, prolonged use could also trigger a proliferation of microorganisms not sensitive to this antibiotic that would require the interruption of treatment.

• Interference with diagnostic tests : treatment with this antibiotic could alter the results of some diagnostic tests. For example, with blood crossmatches.

Use of cefuroxime by prescription only

Cefuroxime is an antibiotic belonging to the cephalosporin family. It inhibits the synthesis of the cell wall of sensitive bacteria, thus causing their death.

A rational use must be made of both this drug and the other antibiotics. Self-medication and their abuse are causing a major public health problem and major complications in the clinical development of new antimicrobial drugs.