The quinolones in chronic bronchitis

Results are presented from 186 hospitalized patients treated for acute purulent exacerbations of chronic bronchitis with orally administered ciprofloxacin (80 patients), enoxacin (26 patients), ofloxacin (30 patients) or pefloxacin (50 patients). In general, good clinical results were observed in 50-70% of the patients treated, most failures being due to relapses or reinfections with Streptococcus pneumoniae or Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Studies on blood and sputum concentration suggested that gastro-intestinal absorption was not always satisfactory. Unwanted drug effects were noted with all agents studied, generally presenting as stomach pain, nausea, hallucinations, or dizziness. Most adverse drug reactions were seen with enoxacin, often but not always during concomitant treatment with theophylline.