Cefadroxil in skin and skin-structure foot infections: a retrospective review

The efficacy and safety of cefadroxil in eradicating localized skin and skin-structure infections of the foot were investigated in a retrospective chart review of 222 consecutive patients from two private practices seen over a 10-year period. Of the 189 patients for whom follow-up data were available, 187 (99%) received cefadroxil 500 mg twice daily, and 2 patients (1%) received 250 mg twice daily. The duration of therapy was 2 weeks or less in 87% of patients, with a median duration of therapy of 11.4 days (range, 5 to 35 days). Of the 189 clinically evaluable patients, 179 (95%) achieved a favorable clinical response to treatment; of the 57 patients with microbiologic cultures, 54 (95%) experienced a satisfactory bacteriologic response to therapy; no adverse events related to cefadroxil therapy were identified during the review. The overall results from this retrospective study suggest that cefadroxil is an effective agent with a favorable safety profile for the treatment of skin and skin-structure infections of the foot.