Comparison of oral erythromycin ethylsuccinate and ciprofloxacin in the treatment of acute respiratory tract infections.

A total of 619 patients with acute upper or lower respiratory tract infection were randomised to receive either erythromycin ethylsuccinate tablets at a dose of 1 g twice daily, or ciprofloxacin tablets 500 mg twice daily in a single-blind, multicentre study. The efficacy of each antibacterial was similar, with close to 90% of patients on each treatment being reported as either cured or improved. Gastrointestinal symptoms were the most commonly reported side-effects, being similar in overall incidence for both agents. Nausea, vomiting, dizziness and headache occurred more frequently in the ciprofloxacin group, while abdominal pain and diarrhoea occurred more frequently in the erythromycin ethylsuccinate group. In each group, the number of patients failing to complete treatment was similar and the main reasons cited for discontinuation were gastrointestinal symptoms. This study indicates that both erythromycin ethylsuccinate and ciprofloxacin are well tolerated and are equally effective for routine empirical treatment of acute respiratory tract infections.