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Renzo Rozzini, MD; Marco Trabucchi, MD

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

We read with interest the editorial by Schwaber and Carmeli titled "Antibiotic Therapy in the Demented Elderly Population."¹ We would like to express some considerations that may be useful for a discussion regarding the important issue of somatic treatments in patients affected by cognitive derangements.

If a drug is effective in a disease treatment, we must prescribe it regardless of its cost (money vs the risks of negative consequences). The possible medicinal benefits for a single patient outweigh other considerations. Moreover, we must consider that subjects affected by dementia in advanced stages comprise approximately 0.5% of the general population; thus, their possible contribution to the diffusion of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is rather scanty, not allowing for a decision to be made based on this motivation. We should compare these problems with those induced, for example, by the diffusion of genetic engineering applied to medicine, which . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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Antibiotic Therapy in the Demented Elderly Population: Redefining the Ethical Dilemma
Mitchell J. Schwaber and Yehuda Carmeli
Arch Intern Med. 2008;168(4):349-350.
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