Comparison of spiramycin with erythromycin for lower respiratory tract infections.
The efficacy and safety of 2 g oral spiramycin daily were compared with those of 2 g of oral erythromycin daily in a multicentre open prospective trial, involving 198 patients, with a mean age of 61.75 years, with a clinical and radiological diagnosis of acute lower respiratory tract infection. The diagnoses were: acute bronchitis (96), acute superinfection of chronic bronchitis (60) and pneumonia (42). The patients were assessed before therapy and after three and ten days of therapy. Seventy-four (76.3%) of the patients were cured in the spiramycin group and 64 (63.4%) were cured in the erythromycin group (P less than 0.05). Significantly more patients complained of side effects in the erythromycin group (41.4%) than in the spiramycin group (11.8%) P less than 0.001.
D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001991:Bronchitis / Q000188:drug therapy; D002908:Chronic Disease; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004917:Erythromycin / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007933:Leucomycins / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000188:drug therapy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D015163:Superinfection / Q000188:drug therapy
D007933:Leucomycins; D004917:Erythromycin