Early use of azithromycin may reduce severity of wheezing, study finds

Giving azithromycin to children with a history of recurrent severe lower respiratory tract illness may reduce the severity of further episodes, a randomised double blind placebo controlled trial published in JAMA has found,1 although experts warn that widespread use of such a strategy could result in increased antibiotic resistance.

The researchers randomised 607 children aged 12-71 months with a history of recurrent severe lower respiratory tract infection to receive azithromycin (12 mg/kg/day) for five days or placebo at the onset of symptoms that had previously …