Comparison of two antibiotic regimens in the empirical treatment of severe childhood pneumonia.

OBJECTIVE: The diagnosis and the treatment of community-acquired severe pneumonia is still a serious child health problem in developing countries. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of two different antibiotic regimens in the empirical treatment of severe childhood pneumonia. METHODOLOGY: We enrolled 97 infants (aged 2-24 months) with severe community-acquired pneumonia in a randomized-controlled trial of 10 days of treatment with penicillin G+chloramphenicol (n:46) or ceftriaxone (n:51). We evaluated the effectiveness of treatments with symptoms and some laboratory tests during and at the end of the study. RESULTS: The cure rates were similar in both groups and the antibiotic regimens in all patients were found effective (P< 0.001). The number of nurse rounds was much more in penicillin plus chloramphenicol group than ceftriaxone group. CONCLUSION: Both penicillin G plus chloramphenicol and ceftriaxone are effective in the empirical treatment of severe community pneumonia of young children. In spite of more nurse visits for antibiotic treatment, penicillin G+ chloramphenicol combination may be a cheaper alternative to ceftriaxone in the treatment of childhood pneumonia.