The efficacy and safety of Short course therapy with Cefixime in URTI in Indian Scenario

Upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) are one of the commonest cause for a patient’s visit to outpatient department (OPD). Short course therapies with penicillin and cephalosporin class of antibiotics are commonly prescribed in URTI cases. This study was a retrospective, multicentre, observational cohort analysis, planned to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of Cefixime 400 mg per day in patients of URTI, using WURSS 21 score. We analysed the data of 200 patients who were prescribed Cefixime for URTI. Most of the patients (55%) were male. The baseline mean WURSS score of 41.09 ± 33.45 decreased to 25.74 ± 22.29 [(-37.3%), p value<0.05] at visit 2; moreover, it further decreased to 5.75 ± 6.75 [(-86.0%), p value<0.05] at visit 3. Similar trend was noted for WURSS symptom score and WURSS Quality of life score. At baseline, mean WURSS Symptom score was 25.34 ± 15.97 which was reduced to 16.32 ± 11.50 at visit 2 and 4.15 ± 4.50 at visit 3. Similarly, mean WURSS Quality of life score at baseline was 15.74 ± 18.41 which was reduced to 9.42 ± 11.66 and 1.59 ± 2.75 at visit 2 and visit 3 respectively. None of the patients reported adverse effects. The findings of the present survey confirm the effectiveness and safety of short course of Cefixime therapy in URTI.