Compared to amoxicillin or ciprofloxacin, the use of azithromycin was associated with an increased risk of mortality during the 5 days of treatment, however, for the 10-day period after the prescription was filled, cardiovascular mortality was increased but overall mortality was not increased. COMMENT: this is a very misleading article. The short-term risk of mortality (1st 5 days of the prescription) was increased with azithromycin, but by day 10 there was NO difference in mortality. Could it be that azithromycin is prescribed to sicker patients (possible pneumonia) versus amoxicillin (sinusitis / bronchitis) ? I do not believe the authors appropriately controlled for disease severity.
N Engl J Med. 2012 May 17;366(20):1881-90. (retrieved Mar, 2013).
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