Cephalosporins for the treatment of uncomplicated pyelonephritis: A systematic review.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

The 2011 Infectious Diseases Society of America and European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases guidelines recommend ciprofloxacin or sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim (SMX-TMP) as first-line agents to treat uncomplicated acute pyelonephritis (APN).

OBJECTIVE:

With increasing antimicrobial resistance rates and recent changes in practice patterns, the objective of this systematic review was to describe the effectiveness of cephalosporins for uncomplicated APN in more recently published literature.

METHODS:

Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were used for reporting. We searched PubMed, Embase, and Scopus for publications between January 2010 and September 2022. Eligible articles detailed patients with uncomplicated APN, treated with first- to fourth-generation cephalosporins, and identified a clinical, microbiological, or health care utilization outcome. Studies with more than 30% of complicated APN patients, non-English-language studies, case reports, case series, pharmacodynamic or pharmacokinetic studies, and in vitro laboratory or animal studies were excluded. Screening, review, and extraction were performed independently by 2 researchers, plus a third for conflict resolution. Critical appraisal of studies was performed using Joanna Briggs Institute checklists.

RESULTS:

Eight studies met inclusion, including 5 cohort studies (62.5%), 2 randomized controlled trials (25%), and 1 nonrandomized experimental study (12.5%). Cephalosporins most used across the studies included cefazolin, cephalexin, cefuroxime, cefotaxime, cefdinir, cefditoren, and ceftriaxone. Outcomes assessed were diverse, including clinical or microbiological success and time to defervescence or symptom resolution. Cephalosporins displayed effectiveness for the treatment of acute uncomplicated APN regardless of study design or the presence of a comparison group. No trials reported inferiority of clinical treatment outcomes compared with a fluoroquinolone or SMX-TMP.

CONCLUSION:

Cephalosporins may be viable treatment options for the management of uncomplicated APN.

• Authors: David E Zimmerman, Maria Tomas, Danielle Miller, Lindsay Tomcsanyi, Claire Signorella, Courtney A Montepara, Jordan R Covvey, Anthony J Guarascio
• Journal: Journal of the American Pharmacists Association : JAPhA (J Am Pharm Assoc (2003)) 2023 Sep-Oct Vol. 63 Issue 5 Pg. 1461-1471 ISSN: 1544-3450 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 37414282 (Publication Type: Controlled Clinical Trial, Systematic Review, Journal Article, Review)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2023 American Pharmacists Association®. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Anti-Bacterial Agents
• Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination
• Cephalosporins

Topics

• Humans
• Anti-Bacterial Agents (therapeutic use, pharmacology)
• Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination (pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Cephalosporins (therapeutic use)
• Pyelonephritis (drug therapy, microbiology)
• Communicable Diseases (drug therapy)