“Anti-inflammatory” and “antibacterial” are two concepts that do not seem to be the same, but in clinical work, there are not a few people who confuse them. How many people have said, “Let me prescribe you some anti-inflammatory drugs, and then write out the names of “Cephalosporin”, “Levoxyl” and “Ornidazole”? Below is a table that summarizes the differences between “anti-inflammatory” and “antibacterial”! Table 1. The difference between anti-inflammatory drugs and antibacterial drugs Difference 1: Different definitions First of all, the term anti-inflammatory drugs is not accurate, because there is no “anti-inflammatory drugs” in pharmacology. The term “anti-inflammatory drugs” is often used to refer to anti-inflammatory drugs. So by definition, anti-inflammatory drugs are not related to antibacterial drugs. One acts on inflammatory factors and the other on pathogenic microorganisms. If you have to be related, it is the infectious diseases caused by inflammatory response requires the combined use of antibacterial drugs and anti-inflammatory drugs. Difference two: mechanism of action from the mechanism of action, anti-inflammatory drugs and antibacterial drugs have no intersection of the mechanism of action. Inflammatory signs manifested as redness, swelling, heat, pain and dysfunction, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can quickly play the effect of antipyretic and analgesic. Steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, i.e., glucocorticoids, reduce inflammatory exudation, congestion, and infiltration in the early stages of inflammation and prevent scar tissue formation in the later stages of inflammation. However, for bacterial infectious diseases, anti-inflammatory drugs are only symptomatic treatment, the use of the process may reduce the body’s defenses, while antibacterial drugs is the cause of the treatment, is the key to cure the disease. Difference three: the type of drug from the drug contains the type of view, anti-inflammatory drugs and antibacterial drugs have nothing in common, there is no anti-inflammatory drugs have antibacterial effect, there is no antibacterial drugs have anti-inflammatory effect, which are two independent individuals. And the representative drugs of each of the two are shown in the following chart: Table 2, the types of anti-inflammatory drugs and representative drugs Table 3, the types of antibacterial drugs and representative drugs Difference 4: Clinical application Inflammation is not a disease, it is a sign, it is a kind of defense reaction produced by the body to inflammatory factors. Infectious inflammation Infectious inflammation is an inflammatory response triggered by the invasion of microorganisms into the body. It is manifested by an increase in local blood flow at the site of invasion, an increase in capillary permeability, exudation such as tissue fluid, and an increase in leukocyte aggregation. Therefore, anti-inflammatory drugs combined with antibacterial drugs are more effective in treating bacterial infectious inflammation. On the basis of anti-inflammatory drugs to control the inflammatory reaction, the application of antibacterial drugs can be more effective in removing pathogenic microorganisms (except viruses). The reverse is also true, and the two can be said to play a mutually beneficial role. For example, in severe pneumonia, the administration of anti-inflammatory drugs such as indomethacin can partially reverse hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction. And the appropriate use of glucocorticoids such as dexamethasone allows for some expansion of blood volume in those who are critically ill and whose blood pressure does not return with rehydration and boosting therapy. This allows the antimicrobial drugs to reach the site of infection to clear the sensitive bacteria. Non-infectious inflammation for non-infectious inflammation of the body tissue dysfunction, we do not need to use antibacterial drugs, only need to use anti-inflammatory drugs to treat. For example, for arthritis, we can choose ibuprofen for pain relief and anti-inflammation; for allergic rhinitis, we can choose hormonal nasal sprays to relieve symptoms. Clinicians should be wary of abuse when choosing either antimicrobials or anti-inflammatory drugs. There is no need to use antibacterials for non-infectious inflammation. The use of anti-inflammatory drugs should also be cautious; use before the cause of the disease is clear may mask the symptoms of the disease and lead to the spread of infection. To summarize, anti-inflammatory drugs and antibacterial drugs are two very different kinds of drugs. The so-called “anti-inflammatory drugs” ≠ “antibacterial drugs”. However, the abuse of antibacterial drugs has become a major public health problem in China. According to the 2010 China Family Medicine Box Survey, 75.4% of Chinese people take antibacterial drugs when they have an inflammation or a cold or fever. This may be partly due to the public’s misunderstanding of “anti-inflammatory drugs”, which have no clear medical concept. Some doctors, in order to communicate better with their patients, use anti-inflammatory drugs as a synonym for antibacterial drugs, which also deepens this misunderstanding. As medical professionals, apart from saving lives and helping patients, they should also give the public a correct explanation to avoid the confusion of these two concepts and the abuse of antimicrobial drugs.