A double-blind comparison of amoxycillin with trimethoprim in acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis

Thirty-seven patients with untreated acute exacerbations of severe chronic bronchitis (mean FEV1 0.81), were entered into a double-blind randomized trial comparing amoxycillin 250 mg three times a day with trimethoprim 200 mg twice a day, each given for seven days. Seventeen patients received amoxycillin, from which there was one treatment failure, and 18 patients received trimethoprim, amongst which there were six treatment failures. There were no major differences between the treatments, in this small group of patients, although a significant difference (in favour of amoxycillin) was demonstrated in the patients' subjective dyspnoea score. Because of the difficulties in collecting sufficient patients from a single centre, the definition of the possible role of trimethoprim alone in the treatment of acute axacerbations of chronic bronchitis may have to await multicentre trials.