Comparison of cefatrizine and erythromycin for pediatric ear, nose, and throat infections.

A comparison was made of cefatrizine in dosages of 75 mg/kg/day administered once daily or twice daily and erythromycin in a mean daily dosage of 50 mg/kg given in three divided doses for the treatment of acute infections of the ear, nose, and throat in children. Temperature was recorded twice a day during therapy. At the end of treatment, a clinical evaluation of cure, improvement, or failure was made, based on defervescence and abatement of symptoms. All ten children given cefatrizine once daily were cured (P less than or equal to 0.05), as were eight of ten given cefatrizine twice daily and four of ten given erythromycin. The remaining eight patients were improved. One patient given cefatrizine had diarrhea, which appeared on the fifth day of treatment. No other side effects were observed. Cefatrizine appeared to be similarly effective whether given once a day or twice a day; further trials are warranted to confirm the efficacy of once-daily treatment with this cephalosporin.