Acute laryngitis in adults: results of erythromycin treatment.

Abstract

Previous studies of acute laryngitis in adults have shown high nasopharyngeal isolation rates of B. catarrhalis and H. influenzae. Phenoxymethylpenicillin had no effect on the clinical course. In the present study, 106 patients with acute laryngitis were treated with erythromycin 0.5 g x 2 V or placebo. During the first week the isolation rate of B. catarrhalis was reduced from 60 to 10% in the erythromycin group compared to 34 to 27% in the placebo group (p less than 0.01). The elimination of H. influenzae, isolated in 19% at the acute visit, did not differ between the two groups. As compared to controls, erythromycin treated patients reported significantly lower scores of subjective voice disturbance after 1 week and cough after 2 weeks. Laryngological examination and voice evaluation failed to reveal any differences between the groups.

• Authors: L Schalén, I Eliasson, S Fex, C Kamme, C Schalén
• Journal: Acta oto-laryngologica. Supplementum (Acta Otolaryngol Suppl) Vol. 492 Pg. 55-7 ( 1992) ISSN: 0365-5237 [Print] Norway
• PMID: 1632252 (Publication Type: Clinical Trial, Journal Article, Randomized Controlled Trial)

Chemical References

• Erythromycin

Topics

• Acute Disease
• Adolescent
• Adult
• Diagnosis, Differential
• Double-Blind Method
• Erythromycin (therapeutic use)
• Haemophilus influenzae (isolation & purification)
• Humans
• Laryngitis (diagnosis, drug therapy, microbiology)
• Moraxella catarrhalis (isolation & purification)
• Nasopharynx (microbiology)
• Respiratory Tract Infections (microbiology)
• Voice Quality