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Published on: November 16, 2016
[Clinical evaluation of azithromycin in pediatric infections]
T Nishimura1, K Sugita, S Aoki
1Department of Pediatrics, Osaka Medical College.
Insights
Azithromycin (AZM) demonstrated significant clinical efficacy in treating various pediatric infections, achieving an 87.2% success rate. This antibiotic was well-tolerated, with no serious adverse events reported in the study participants.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases
- Clinical Pharmacology
- Microbiology
Background:
- Pediatric infections pose a significant public health challenge.
- The need for effective and safe antimicrobial agents in children is critical.
- Azithromycin (AZM) is a macrolide antibiotic with broad-spectrum activity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Azithromycin (AZM) in pediatric patients.
- To assess AZM's effectiveness against common bacterial and Mycoplasma pathogens in children.
- To document the incidence of adverse events associated with AZM treatment in this population.
Main Methods:
- A clinical study involving 43 pediatric patients with various infections.
- Patients received Azithromycin (AZM) at a dosage of 1.6-20.0 mg/kg once daily for 3-5 days.
- Efficacy was assessed based on clinical outcomes and microbiological eradication; safety was monitored through adverse event reporting.
Main Results:
- Azithromycin (AZM) showed an overall efficacy rate of 87.2% in 39 evaluable patients.
- The drug was effective against common pediatric pathogens including Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, and Mycoplasma pneumoniae.
- Minor adverse events like loose stools and transient changes in white blood cell counts were observed, with no serious events reported.
Conclusions:
- Azithromycin (AZM) is an effective and generally safe treatment option for a range of pediatric infections.
- The study supports the use of Azithromycin (AZM) in pediatric infectious disease management.
- Further research could explore AZM's role in specific resistant infections or long-term outcomes.
Abstract:
Azithromycin (AZM) was studied for its clinical efficacy in pediatric infections. The study on AZM was carried out in 43 patients whose diagnoses were given as follows: pharyngitis in five cases, tonsillitis in one, bronchitis in four, pneumonia in four, Mycoplasma pneumonia in 14, scarlet fever in nine, impetigo in four, pyodermia in one and Campylobacter enteritis in one. The patients received AZM once daily at 1.6 approximately 20.0 mg/kg body weight for three to five days. Effectiveness of AZM was evaluated in 39 cases and the drug was rated "excellent" in 15, "good" in 19, "fair" in one, "poor" in four, resulting in an efficacy rate of 87.2%. Twenty bacterial isolates were identified as causative isolates in 19 patients: Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Campylobacter jejuni and Mycoplasma pneumoniae. AZM eradicated 16 isolates but four persisted after therapy. One patient complained of loose stool, while two patients were found with decreases in white blood cell counts, and seven showed increases in eosinophils. However, no serious case of adverse event was reported.
