Therapy of Exacerbation of Chronic Bronchitis in Ambulatory Practice: the Results of the Pharmacoepidemiological Study

Clinical Microbiology and Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. 2001; 3(2):148-155

Type
Journal article

Abstract

Case histories of outpatients with acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis (AECB) were analyzed. Diagnoses were classified according to the ICD-10, antimicrobials – to the ATC classification. Altogether 783 case histories of patients aged from 16 to 92 (average age 51,6+13,7) were included in the study. The most frequently prescribed group of medications were antimicrobials for systemic use (83,9%), cough and cold preparations (75,5%), bronchodilators (48,7%), antihistamines (23,0%) and vitamins (9,7%). The most common antimicrobial prescribed was co-trimoxazole (31,8%), followed by ciprofloxacin (16,4%), ampicillin (14,5%) and gentamуcin (10,0%). For antimicrobial treatment monotherapy was used in 84,8% of cases, combination of 2–3 antibiotics – in 15,2% of patients. Average duration of antimicrobial therapy was 8,2+3,4 days. The most common bronchodilators prescribed were preparations of theophylline (76,1%), M-anticholinergic agents (15,4%) and complex ephedrine-containing medications (14,9%). This study has shown unacceptably high rate of inappropriate approach to the therapy of AECB: irrational choice of antibacterials, use of archaic and potentially toxic drugs, wide use of medications with non-proven clinical efficacy.

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