Azithromycin versus comparative therapy for the treatment of community acquired pneumonia.
A 3-day course of azithromycin was compared with the 10 days of other antibiotics, which general practitioners routinely use as therapy for community acquired pneumonia (CAP). The study was a prospective open labelled, randomised, multicentre, comparative study from five family clinics. Patients with clinical and radiological evidence of pneumonia were included. The pneumonia resolved in 98.4% (61/62) of patients treated with azithromycin and in 87% (40/46) of patients treated with other antibiotics (P < 0.017). Restitution of normal function at home (2.3 +/- 1.2 and 4.3 +/- 2.6 days) and return to work (3.4 +/- 2.0 and 5.5 +/- 3.1 days) was more rapid among the group treated with azithromycin ( P < 0.001). Three days of azithromycin was more convenient and cost effective than the comparators used to treat pneumonia.
Department of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Hadassah University Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel. galia.rahav@sheba.health.gov.il
Galia
G
Rahav
Joseph
J
Fidel
Yair
Y
Gibor
Mervyn
M
Shapiro
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017963:Azithromycin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018410:Pneumonia, Bacterial / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D017963:Azithromycin