BMJ  2005;330:460 (26 February), doi:10.1136/bmj.38378.607130.55 (published 31 January 2005)

Commentary

A step forward in the everyday management of adults with community acquired pneumonia

¹ Department of Respiratory Medicine, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Manchester M13 9WL, ² Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Universiteitsweg 100 3584 CG Utrecht, Netherlands

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Few topics cause such fierce discussion among doctors as does the antimicrobial treatment of lower respiratory tract infections. The meta-analysis by Mills et al is a valuable contribution to these debates.¹ Their study should reassure all health professionals who routinely manage non-severe community acquired pneumonia that therapy using oral lactam antibiotics, macrolides, or fluoroquinolones is equally effective when judged by clinical cure and mortality. Although other relevant outcomes such as speed of response, subsequent relapse rates, and harmful antibiotic effects were not assessed, the findings and the different cost and side effect profile of these agents means that a lactam antibiotic (with macrolides and tetracyclines as good alternatives in individuals who are hypersensitive to penicillin) should usually remain the preferred therapy for patients with non-severe community acquired pneumonia managed in the community or in hospital. This is supported by data from clinical practice (as opposed to clinical trials) in Sweden.² . . . [Full text of this article]

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    StumbleUpon    Technorati    What's this?

Relevant Articles

Affairs of the thorax

Kamran Abbasi
BMJ 2005 330: 0. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Effectiveness of lactam antibiotics compared with antibiotics active against atypical pathogens in non-severe community acquired pneumonia: meta-analysis

Graham D Mills, Michael R Oehley, and Bruce Arrol
BMJ 2005 330: 456. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

Complacency about atypical pneumonia

John A A Nichols
bmj.com, 26 Feb 2005 [Full text]

One step forward = three steps backward: Penicillin is the most common choice!

Friedrich Flachsbart
bmj.com, 28 Feb 2005 [Full text]

Online poll

Find out more here>> and here>>