Repositori URV

Identifier: TDX:1022

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/TDX1022

Authors:
Moragas Moreno, Ana

Abstract:
Background. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) constitutes one of the principal demands on healthcare in primary care. Acute exacerbations of COPD are typical events that characterize the course of the disease. Antimicrobial therapy remains a controversial issue, mainly in acute exacerbations of mild-to-moderate COPD. Even though most of the patients attended in the community correspond to mild and moderate COPD, antibiotics are highly prescribed for exacerbations in Spain. Aims. The main objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of antibiotic therapy compared with placebo at day 9-11 in acute exacerbations of mild-to-moderate COPD. The secondary objectives were to evaluate the rate of clinical success of antibiotic therapy compared with placebo at day 20 and assess the symptom-free interval, i.e. days till next exacerbation in both groups. Design. Multicentre, parallel, double-blinded placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial carried out from January 2006 to June 2011. Study setting: Twenty-three primary care centres in Catalonia. Subjects. Patients aged 40 or older, smokers or ex-smokers of ten packs-year or more, with spirometrically-based diagnosis of mild-to-moderate COPD (forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) > 50% expected and FEV1/forced vital capacity ratio < 0.7% expected) from a lung function test performed within 24 months prior to inclusion, and the presence of an acute exacerbation defined as the presence of at least one of the following signs and symptoms: increase of dyspnoea, increase in sputum volume and/or increase of sputum purulence. Patients with bronchial asthma, hypersensitivity to β-lactams, bronchiectasis of origin other than COPD, active neoplasm, tracheotomy, presence of radiological signs of pneumonia or hospital admis