Antibiotic treatment of exacerbations of copd in general practice: Long-term impact on health-related quality of life

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the impact of exacerbations in health-related quality of life (HRQL) of patients with COPD and to compare the effect of treatment of COPD exacerbations with moxifloxacin (400 mg/day for 5 days) and amoxicillin/clavulanate (500/125 mg 3 times a day for 10 days) on HRQL. Methods: 229 outpatients with stable COPD (mean age 68.2 years; mean FEV1 % predicted 49.3%) participated in a prospective, observational study of 2 years' duration. The St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) was completed at baseline and every 6 months thereafter. Results: COPD exacerbations (mean 2.7 episodes/patient) occurred in 136 patients (124 patients received the study medications [amoxicillin/clavulanate 54, moxifloxacin 70]). Differences between baseline and the final visit were higher for moxifloxacin compared with amoxicillin/ clavulanate for total SGRQ score (-2.60 [13.1] vs 4.21 [16.2], P = 0.05) and "Symptoms" subscale (-5.64 [16.7] vs 8.27 [21], P = 0.02). The same findings were observed in patients with two or more exacerbations. Conclusions: In COPD outpatients, treatment of exacerbations with moxifloxacin had a more favorable long-term effect on quality of life than amoxicillin/clavulanate. © 2010 Miravitlles et al, publisher and licensee Dove Medical Press Ltd.