title: Association of azithromycin with mortality and cardiovascular events among older patients hospitalized with pneumonia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Although clinical practice guidelines recommend combination therapy with macrolides, including azithromycin, as first-line therapy for patients hospitalized with pneumonia, recent research suggests that azithromycin may be associated with increased cardiovascular events.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine the association of azithromycin use with all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events for patients hospitalized with pneumonia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective cohort study comparing older patients hospitalized with pneumonia from fiscal years 2002 through 2012 prescribed azithromycin therapy and patients receiving other guideline-concordant antibiotic therapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was conducted using national Department of Veterans Affairs administrative data of patients hospitalized at any Veterans Administration acute care hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients were included if they were aged 65 years or older, were hospitalized with pneumonia, and received antibiotic therapy concordant with national clinical practice guidelines.
  
  
  METHODS
  Outcomes included 30- and 90-day all-cause mortality and 90-day cardiac arrhythmias, heart failure, myocardial infarction, and any cardiac event. Propensity score matching was used to control for the possible effects of known confounders with conditional logistic regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 73,690 patients from 118 hospitals identified, propensity-matched groups were composed of 31,863 patients exposed to azithromycin and 31,863 matched patients who were not exposed. There were no significant differences in potential confounders between groups after matching. Ninety-day mortality was significantly lower in those who received azithromycin (exposed, 17.4%, vs unexposed, 22.3%; odds ratio [OR], 0.73; 95% CI, 0.70-0.76). However, we found significantly increased odds of myocardial infarction (5.1% vs 4.4%; OR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.08-1.25) but not any cardiac event (43.0% vs 42.7%; OR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.98-1.05), cardiac arrhythmias (25.8% vs 26.0%; OR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.95-1.02), or heart failure (26.3% vs 26.2%; OR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.97-1.04).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among older patients hospitalized with pneumonia, treatment that included azithromycin compared with other antibiotics was associated with a lower risk of 90-day mortality and a smaller increased risk of myocardial infarction. These findings are consistent with a net benefit associated with azithromycin use.
authors.affiliation: VA North Texas Health Care System, Dallas2University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas.
authors.forename: Eric M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Mortensen
authors.affiliation: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas.
authors.forename: Ethan A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Halm
authors.affiliation: VERDICT Research Program, South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio5University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
authors.forename: Mary Jo
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Pugh
authors.affiliation: Center for Applied Health Research, Central Texas Veterans Health Care System jointly with Scott and White Healthcare, Temple, Texas.
authors.forename: Laurel A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Copeland
authors.affiliation: University of Connecticut Medical Center, Farmington.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Metersky
authors.affiliation: VA Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Fine
authors.affiliation: VA North Texas Health Care System, Dallas2University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas.
authors.forename: Christopher S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: VA North Texas Health Care System, Dallas2University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas3Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Dallas.
authors.forename: Carlos A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Alvarez
authors.affiliation: University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio9University of Texas at Austin.
authors.forename: Christopher R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Frei
authors.affiliation: VA Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Chester
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Good
authors.affiliation: VERDICT Research Program, South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio5University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
authors.forename: Marcos I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Restrepo
authors.affiliation: VERDICT Research Program, South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio5University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
authors.forename: John R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Downs
authors.affiliation: VERDICT Research Program, South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio5University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Anzueto
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017963:Azithromycin / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006787:Hospitals, Veterans / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients; D008297:Male; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012306:Risk; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D017963:Azithromycin