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Case ref:201905949
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Date:June 2021
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Body:Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership
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Sector:Health and Social Care
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Outcome:Not upheld, no recommendations
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Subject:Clinical treatment / Diagnosis
Summary
C attended a clinic a number of times where it was found that they had non-specific urethritis (inflammation of the tube that carries urine from the bladder to outside the body). On one occasion C was diagnosed with chlamydia (a common sexually transmitted disease). C was prescribed antibiotics to treat these conditions.
C raised concern that the partnership provided incorrect treatment. C told us that they were given multiple types of antibiotics and these had significant side effects. They were concerned that the antibiotics had impacted on their liver.
The partnership said that C was prescribed the correct antibiotics for their diagnoses. They noted that liver damage is a rare side effect of the antibiotics prescribed and blood results from the time period in question showed normal liver results and suggested that there was not severe liver damage following the antibiotics.
We took independent clinical advice from an adviser experienced in general practice, and an adviser experienced in hepatology and gastroenterology (a specialist in diagnosing and treatment disorders of the liver, stomach and intestines). We found that the treatments provided by the clinic were reasonable and that it was reasonable to treat C on the basis of the symptoms they presented with. We noted that the choice of antibiotics was reasonable, and that the partnership's position on liver damage (being a rare side effect) was reasonable.
As such, we did not uphold the complaint.