Battling With Acute Otitis Media? Erythromycin + sulphafurazole compares well with amoxycillin In these children 253 children (mean age 3.24 years) with acute otitis media (bilateral in 98 cases) participated in a randomised double·blind study comparing the efficacy of amoxyciltin with that of erylhromycin/sulphafurazole (sulfisoxazole). 145 patients were evaluable and 72 received oral amoxycillin 2SOmg tid (or 40 mg/kg/day in 3 divided doses if bodyweight was < 20kg while 73 were given oral erythromycin/sulphafura zole SO/I 50 mgfkg/ day in 4 d ivided doses. Haemophilus species and Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates Pfedominated in pretreatment cultures. Up to 4 days after treatment, patients from each group had persistent otitis media. 60 amoxycillin-trealed patients (83.3%) and 65 erythromycin/sulphafufazole recipients (89%) were cured. Haernophilus sp. were eradicated in a similar percentage of patients in each group (84%) but a lower number of amoxycitiin recipients (82.9%) were cured of S. pneumoniae infection compared w ith erythromycin/sutphafurazole-treated patients (97.5%). 12 amoxycillin·treated patients had recurrent otitis media within 20 days of treatment ending compared with 9 erythromycin/sulphafurazole recipients. 38% of amoxycillin-treated patients had persistent otitis media with effusion after treatment compared with 48% of erythromycin/sutphafurazole recipients. Two weeks later, corresponding figures were 10 and 16%, respectively. 20% of patients from each group had middle ear eHusions after treatment and developed recurrent otitis media up to 2 weeks later. Side effects in the erythromycin-sulphafurazole group included rash and gastrointestinal upsets while 1 amoxycillin-treated patient was troubled with vomiting and diarrhoea. Thus, erythromycin/sulphafurazole and amoxycillin were both effective and well tolerated in the treatment of otitis media.
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Rodtigun. W.J.: SchWllrz, R.H.: S.iI. T.: Khatl. W.N.: Chhabra, D.P. el sI.: Americ8tr.JocJmaJ of Qseases 0 1 CIIikJMn 139: 766-770 (Aug J985)
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OI5e.270J/ 8S/IOOS.(I012/ 0S01.00/0 CI ADIS Press
