Cephalexin therapy for infections complicated by age and concurrent diseases. A study in general practice.

A broad spectrum antibiotic, cephalexin, was used to treat 64 patients in whom the problems of age, underlying conditions and multiple drug therapy could adversely affect the outcome of antibiotic treatment. The majority of patients were given the antibiotic for a lower respiratory tract infection. Treatment was successful in 50 patients after 5 days, and in a further 3 after 10 days. In 25 patients another antibiotic had been used unsuccessfully to treat infection: 19 of these patients responded to cephalexin therapy. Minor gastro-intestinal side effects were reported in 4 patients.