title: [Roxithromycin in the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of the present study was to prospectively evaluate the efficacy and tolerance of roxithromycin in the empiric treatment of extra-hospitalary pneumonias in immunocompetent adult patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Over a 12 month period 101 patients with extra-hospitalary pneumonia who attended the Emergency Department were studied. Of these, 53 were treated as out patients (5 with amoxicillin-clavulanic, 25 with erythromycin and 23 with roxithromycin at daily doses of 300 mg for 10 days). The treatment was randomly chosen, with no patient selection, thus making heterogeneous groups and, therefore, the study could not be comparative.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In patients receiving roxithromycin, an etiologic diagnosis was achieved in 15 cases (65.3%), with Mycoplasma pneumoniae, being the most frequent pathogen (10 cases), followed by Streptococcus pneumoniae (3), Chlamydia pneumoniae (1) and Haemophilus influenzae (1). The mean duration of fever was 1.9 days, 6.7 days for respiratory manifestations and resolution of the radiographic infiltrate 11.6 days. The evolution was good in all the patients with no secondary effects or relapse occurring in any patient.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Roxithromycin is an effective, safe and comfortable antibiotic in the treatment of infections of the lower respiratory tract acquired in the community.
authors.affiliation: Sección de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Hospital Ramón y Cajal, Madrid.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Antela
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Guerrero
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Montilla
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Hermida
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fortún
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Pérez Elías
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Quereda
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Navas
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015575:Roxithromycin / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D015575:Roxithromycin
vernacular_title: Roxitromicina en el tratamiento de las neumonías extrahospitalarias.