A study was carried out in general practice to assess the clinical effectiveness and tolerability of the oral
cephalosporin,
cefuroxime axetil, in the treatment of 369 patients presenting with acute
infections of the upper respiratory tract. The main diagnoses were
tonsillitis,
pharyngitis,
sinusitis and
otitis media. Patients were treated for 7 days with 1
tablet of 250 mg
cefuroxime axetil twice daily. Details of
fever and signs and symptoms of
infection such as
pain, sinus tenderness and reddening of the eardrum were recorded before and
after treatment. Response was assessed by the physician on the basis of the clinical findings (the microbiological findings will be reported separately), and by patients on their satisfaction with their
therapy. The results indicated an overall clinical improvement rate of 89%: all clinical parameters showed significant improvement and most patients were symptom-free when seen
after treatment. Only 2 patients were classified as treatment failures and withdrawn from the study. Complete resolution of the
infection was seen more often in patients with
tonsillitis and
pharyngitis than in those with
sinusitis or
otitis media. Over 80% of patients expressed their satisfaction with
therapy. Adverse events reported were few, even though patients were prompted with a non-leading question, and were mainly mild in nature. The most frequently reported were diarrhoea (5%) and loose motions (3%).