trimethoprim--sulfamethoxazole-drug-combination and Lung-Diseases--Obstructive

Bacterial infections of the lower airways during an exacerbation in patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may be the cause of an exacerbation or the consequence of a viral infection or an increase in airways limitation. To determine whether bacterial infection is an important component in the pathogenesis of an exacerbation, the effects of antimicrobial treatment must be studied.. Patients with asthma or COPD seen in general practice were studied in a double blind randomised manner to investigate whether the antimicrobial drugs amoxicillin (500 mg three times daily), cotrimoxazole (960 mg twice daily), or a placebo, each when added to a short course of oral corticosteroids, can accelerate recovery from exacerbations. Patients were instructed to contact their own physician early in the morning when complaints of increased shortness of breath, wheezing, or exacerbations of cough with or without sputum production occurred. Treatment effects were evaluated over the next 14 days by studying symptom scores (wheeze, dyspnoea, cough with and without mucus production, and awakening with dyspnoea), peak expiratory flow values (PEF, expressed as % predicted), and sublingual temperature. Bacteriological study of the sputum was made at the onset of an exacerbation and 7, 21 and 35 days afterwards.. Of 195 patients enrolled 71 (36%) contacted their physician for symptoms of an exacerbation. Symptoms improved in all three groups, improvements ranging from 0.54 to 0.75 points per day on a four point scale. PEF% predicted showed improvements in the three groups after the exacerbation, ranging from 0.34% to 0.78% predicted per day, finally returning to baseline values. Sublingual temperature did not change. Six of 71 patients consulted their physician because of a relapse between four and 24 days after the start of treatment. In only two of the 50 sputum samples, collected during an exacerbation, and which contained > or = 10(5) bacteria in culture sensitive to the chosen antibiotic given, did any benefit from antimicrobial treatment occur. During the recovery period sputum purulence improved irrespective of antibiotic treatment.. Antibiotics given with a short course of oral prednisolone during an exacerbation do not accelerate recovery as measured by changes in peak flow and symptom scores in ambulatory patients with mild to moderate asthma or COPD when treated by their general practitioners. Moreover, antibiotics do not reduce the number of relapses after treating an exacerbation.

Topics: Amoxicillin; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Asthma; Bacterial Infections; Double-Blind Method; Drug Therapy, Combination; Family Practice; Female; Humans; Lung Diseases, Obstructive; Male; Middle Aged; Penicillins; Prednisolone; Respiratory Function Tests; Respiratory Tract Infections; Smoking; Treatment Outcome; Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination

Antibiotic therapy for acute episodes of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a controversial issue still not clarified. In order to evaluate the effectivity of the antibiotic therapy, we designed a double-blind controlled and randomized clinical trial, in which 90 patients hospitalized due to an acute episode of COPD were divided into three groups: group I, cotrimoxazole (29 patients); group II, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (32 patients) and group III, placebo (29 patients). Gasometric and spirometric measures were taken in addition to clinical evaluation at hospital admission and discharge using a numerical valoration system. All patients were treated with common bronchodilators. The three groups were homogeneous at their admission and there were no statistical differences at their discharge. We conclude that antibiotics do not play a relevant role in the improvement of acute episodes of COPD.

Topics: Aged; Amoxicillin; Amoxicillin-Potassium Clavulanate Combination; Clavulanic Acids; Double-Blind Method; Drug Therapy, Combination; Female; Humans; Lung Diseases, Obstructive; Male; Middle Aged; Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination

In a double-blind study of 137 patients with exacerbation of chronic bronchitis and chronic obstructive lung disease, the efficacy and safety of ofloxacin was compared with that of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX). Both groups improved. The frequency of severe adverse reactions was highest in the TMP/SMX group, and 14.9% of the patients discontinued the treatment. In the ofloxacin group 6% had to stop the treatment. The failure rate was significantly lower in the ofloxacin-treated patients, 3.2% versus 13.8% in the TMP/SMX group. Ofloxacin was found to be an effective drug with few adverse reactions.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Bronchitis; Chronic Disease; Double-Blind Method; Female; Humans; Lung Diseases, Obstructive; Male; Middle Aged; Ofloxacin; Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination

The effects of broad-spectrum antibiotic and placebo therapy in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in exacerbation were compared in a randomized, double-blinded, crossover trial. Exacerbations were defined in terms of increased dyspnea, sputum production, and sputum purulence. Exacerbations were followed at 3-day intervals by home visits, and those that resolved in 21 days were designated treatment successes. Treatment failures included exacerbations in which symptoms did not resolve but no intervention was necessary, and those in which the patient's condition deteriorated so that intervention was necessary. Over 3.5 years in 173 patients, 362 exacerbations were treated, 180 with placebo and 182 with antibiotic. The success rate with placebo was 55% and with antibiotic 68%. The rate of failure with deterioration was 19% with placebo and 10% with antibiotic. There was a significant benefit associated with antibiotic. Peak flow recovered more rapidly with antibiotic treatment than with placebo. Side effects were uncommon and did not differ between antibiotic and placebo.

Topics: Aged; Amoxicillin; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Double-Blind Method; Doxycycline; Drug Combinations; Dyspnea; Female; Humans; Lung Diseases, Obstructive; Male; Middle Aged; Random Allocation; Respiratory Sounds; Sputum; Sulfamethoxazole; Trimethoprim; Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination

Despite antiretroviral therapy and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) prophylaxis, Pneumocystis pneumonia remains an important serious opportunistic infection in HIV-infected persons. Pneumocystis (Pc) colonization in HIV-infected individuals and in HIV-uninfected smokers is associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We previously developed a nonhuman primate model of HIV infection and Pc colonization and demonstrated that Pc colonization correlated with COPD development. In the present study, we examined kinetics of COPD development in non-human primate and tested the effect of Pc burden reduction on pulmonary function by TMP-SMX treatment.. Cynomolgus macaques (n = 16) were infected with simian/human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV89.6P), and natural Pc colonization was examined by nested polymerase chain reaction of serial bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and anti-Pc serology.. Eleven of 16 monkeys became Pc colonized by 16 weeks post simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) infection. Pc colonization of SHIV-infected monkeys led to progressive declines in pulmonary function as early as 4 weeks after Pc detection. SHIV-infected and Pc-negative monkeys maintained normal lung function. At 25 weeks post-SHIV infection, TMP-SMX treatment was initiated in 7 Pc-positive (Pc+) (TMP: 20 mg/kg and SMX: 100 mg/kg, daily for 48 weeks) and 5 Pc-negative (Pc-) monkeys. Four SHIV+/Pc+ remained untreated for the duration of the experiment. Detection frequency of Pc in serial bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (P < 0.001), as well as plasma Pc antibody titers (P = 0.02) were significantly reduced in TMP-SMX-treated macaques compared with untreated.. Reduction of Pc colonization by TMP-SMX treatment did not improve pulmonary function, supporting the concept that Pc colonization results in early, permanent obstructive changes in the lungs of immunosuppressed macaques.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Infective Agents; Antibodies, Fungal; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid; Lung Diseases, Obstructive; Macaca; Pneumocystis; Pneumocystis Infections; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Simian Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; Treatment Outcome; Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination

To determine the effect of age, severity of lung disease, severity and frequency of exacerbation, steroid use, choice of an antibiotic, and the presence of comorbidity on the outcome of treatment for an acute exacerbation of COPD.. A retrospective chart analysis over 24 months.. A university Veterans Affairs medical center.. Outpatients with COPD who were treated with an antibiotic over a period of 24 months for an acute exacerbation of COPD.. Severity of an acute exacerbation of COPD was defined using the criteria of Anthonisen et al: increased dyspnea, increased sputum volume, and increased sputum purulence. Severity of lung disease was stratified based on FEV(1) percent predicted using American Thoracic Society guidelines (stage I, FEV(1) > or = 50%; stage II, FEV(1) 35 to 49%; stage III, FEV(1) < 35%). Treatment outcome was judged successful when the patient had no return visit in 4 weeks for a respiratory problem. Failure was defined as a return visit for persistent respiratory symptoms that required a change of an antibiotic in < 4 weeks.. One-hundred seven patients with COPD (mean age +/- SD, 66.9 +/- 9.5 years) experienced 232 exacerbations over 24 months. First-line antibiotics (trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, ampicillin/amoxicillin, and erythromycin) were used to treat 78% of all exacerbations. Treatment failure was noted in 12.1% of first exacerbations and 14. 7% of all exacerbations, with more than half the failures requiring hospitalization. Host factors that were independently associated with treatment failure included the following: FEV(1) < 35% (46.4% vs 22.4%; p = 0.047), use of home oxygen (60.7% vs 15.6%; p < 0. 0001), frequency of exacerbation (3.8 +/- 2.0 vs 1.6 +/- 0.91; p < 0. 001), history of previous pneumonia (64.3% vs 35.1 p < 0.007), history of sinusitis (28.6% vs 8.8%; p < 0.009) and use of maintenance steroids (32.1% vs 15.2% p = 0.052). Using stepwise logistic regression analysis to identify the top independent variables, the use of home oxygen (p = 0.0002) and frequency of exacerbation (p < 0.0001) correctly classified failures in 83.3% of the patients. Surprisingly, age, the choice of an antibiotic, and the presence of any one or more comorbidity did not affect the treatment outcome.. The results of our study suggest that patient host factors and not antibiotic choice may determine treatment outcome. Prospective studies in appropriately stratified patients are needed to validate these findings.

Topics: Acute Disease; Adrenal Cortex Hormones; Aged; Ambulatory Care; Amoxicillin; Ampicillin; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Comorbidity; Erythromycin; Female; Forced Expiratory Volume; Humans; Lung Diseases, Obstructive; Male; Middle Aged; Retrospective Studies; Risk Factors; Treatment Failure; Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination

Topics: Aged; Anti-Infective Agents; Asthma; Drug Combinations; Humans; Lung Diseases, Obstructive; Male; Middle Aged; Pulmonary Emphysema; Status Asthmaticus; Sulfamethoxazole; Trimethoprim; Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination