Efficacy and safety of oral cefixime therapy in common infectious diseases in children
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1Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, R.O.C.
Insights
Oral cefixime effectively treated common pediatric infections like acute otitis media and enterocolitis in a trial. This antibiotic demonstrated a high overall cure rate of 93% with minimal adverse effects in children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases
- Pharmacology
- Clinical Trials
Background:
- Common pediatric infections pose a significant health burden.
- Oral antibiotics are a cornerstone of pediatric infectious disease management.
- Evaluating novel therapeutic options is crucial for improving patient outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the efficacy and safety of oral cefixime in treating common pediatric infectious diseases.
- To determine the cure and improvement rates for various pediatric infections treated with cefixime.
- To evaluate the adverse reaction profile of oral cefixime in a pediatric population.
Main Methods:
- An open-label trial was conducted involving 29 pediatric patients.
- Patients received oral cefixime granules at 6-12 mg/kg/day, administered twice daily for over five days.
- Infections treated included acute otitis media, purulent rhinitis, acute enterocolitis, and urinary tract infections.
Main Results:
- High cure/improvement rates were observed: 100% for acute otitis media and purulent rhinitis, 100% for acute enterocolitis (with bacterial eradication).
- Urinary tract infection cure rate was 85% (11/13), with successful eradication of E. coli and P. mirabilis.
- Overall cure and improvement rate reached 93%, with only mild, transient diarrhea reported as an adverse effect.
Conclusions:
- Oral cefixime is an effective and safe treatment option for a range of common pediatric infectious diseases.
- The antibiotic demonstrated high efficacy across various infections, including bacterial enterocolitis and otitis media.
- Cefixime's favorable safety profile makes it a suitable choice for pediatric infectious disease management.
Abstract:
Twenty-nine children, including 20 boys and 9 girls, were enrolled in an open trial of oral cefixime therapy for common pediatric infectious diseases. Patients aged between 0.5 month and 12 years with a mean +/- standard deviation of 2.3 +/- 2.8 years. The diagnoses included 10 of acute otitis media, 2 of purulent rhinitis, 4 of acute enterocolitis, and 13 of urinary tract infection. Most children received 6-12 mg/kg/day of cefixime granules, orally twice daily for more than five days. All 10 cases (100%) of acute otitis media and 2 cases of purulent rhinitis were either cured, or improved by oral cefixime treatment. None of them was microbiologically evaluable. Four cases (100%) of acute enterocolitis, 3 due to Salmonella group B, one due to Shigella flexneri, were also successfully treated with bacteria eradication. However, the cure rate of 13 cases of urinary tract infection was only 85% (11/13). Seven Escherichia coli and 4 Proteus mirabilis infections were eradicated, whereas one each of Enterobacter cloacae and Klebsiella pneumoniae infections did not respond to treatment; these two cases had a complicated course. The overall cure and improvement rate was 93%. Although five patients had transient episodes of mild diarrhea, no significant adverse reaction was observed. In summary, oral cefixime given twice daily was effective and safe in the treatment of a variety of common infectious diseases in pediatric patients.