Report Example on Community Acquired Pneumonia Medication

Community Acquired Pneumonia (CAP) is an acute pneumonic disease that a patient acquires outside the hospital or any other long-term care facility. In essence, patients contract it from the community and affect that pulmonary parenchyma. The disease manifests within the first two days (48hrs) of patient admission or in patients who present the signs of pneumonia without having any symptoms associated with it. Levofloxacin and Azithromycin are some of the medication interventions for CAP, yet they have different attributes in alleviating it.

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Safety

The safety of azithromycin in the treatment of CAP is in doubt since its use is associated with unusual changes in the hearts electrical activity. This impairment leads to cardiovascular infections and related complications (D'Ignazio et al., 2005). It is associated with the risk of torsades de pointes and fatal arrhythmia. On the other hand, there are no known side effects of Levofloxacin (Ray et al., 2012). Orally administered Levofloxacin is rapidly absorbed into the body systems without any long-term or short-term health complications.

Tolerability

Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates become resistant to Azithromycin. On the other hand, a high tolerability for levofloxacin 500 mg administered once every day for ten days in patients with CAP (Leroy et al., 2005). High-dose, short-course levofloxacin is effective in decreasing the potential of bacterial resistance and achieves a better compliance by the patients. Efficacy

Both Levofloxacin and Azithromycin are proven to suppress the bacteria that cause CAP. However, Levofloxacin controls both typical and atypical pathogens while Azithromycin responds only to atypical bacteria, which are only 20% responsible for causing pneumonia (D'Ignazio et al., 2005). Levofloxacin is well tolerated, actively penetrates the tissues and can be maintained at the infection site (Li, Winston, Moore & Bent, 2007). There is often more risk of treatment failure in CAP using azithromycin than levofloxacin, especially for high-risk patients such as the elderly.

Price

There is no marked difference between the costs of the two drugs. However, much of the cost advantage is attributable to reduced stay of patients in the hospital and the implicit associated daily cost. The 750-mg, short-course levofloxacin reduces the total drug need and relieves pneumonia symptoms more rapidly than azithromycin.

Simplicity

Orally administered Levofloxacin is easier and efficient than the Azithromycin.in cases where the patient has Comorbidities such as alcoholism, Levofloxacin administered in the dose of 750 mg PO q24h is simpler and more efficient (Ray et al.,2012)

References

D'Ignazio, J., Camere, M. A., Lewis, D. E., Jorgensen, D., & Breen, J. D. (2005). The novel, single-dose microsphere formulation of azithromycin versus 7-day levofloxacin therapy for treatment of mild to moderate community-acquired pneumonia in adults. Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy, 49(10), 4035-4041.

Leroy O, Saux P, Bedos JP, Caulin E (2005). Comparison of levofloxacin and cefotaxime combined with ofloxacin for ICU patients with community-acquired pneumonia who do not require vasopressors. Chest 128:172.

Li, J. Z., Winston, L. G., Moore, D. H., & Bent, S. (2007). Efficacy of short-course antibiotic regimens for community-acquired pneumonia: a meta-analysis. The American journal of medicine, 120(9), 783-790.

Ray WA, Murray KT, Hall K, et al. (2012). Azithromycin and the risk of cardiovascular death. N Engl J Med;366:1881-1890.