Is azithromycin the first-choice macrolide for treatment of community-acquired pneumonia?
Snchez F; Mensa J; Martnez JA; Garca E; Marco F; Gonzlez J; Marcos MA; Soriano A; Torres A Institut Clínic d’Infeccions i Immunologia, Hospital Clínic i Provincial de Barcelona, 08026 Barcelona, Spain. MI0001@imas.imim.es Combination treatment with a beta-lactam plus a macrolide may improve the outcome for elderly patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). The prognoses and mortality rates for elderly patients with CAP who receive ceftriaxone combined with a 3-day course of azithromycin or a 10-day course of clarithromycin were compared in an open-label, prospective study. Of 896 assessable patients, 220 received clarithromycin and 383 received azithromycin. There were no significant differences between groups with regard to the severity score defined by the Pneumonia Patient Outcomes Research Team (PORT) study group; the incidence of bacteremia was also not significantly different. However, for patients treated with azithromycin, the length of hospital stay was shorter (mean+/-
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