Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2018 Mar-Apr;35(2):143-149.
doi: 10.4103/lungindia.lungindia_262_17.

Management of lower respiratory tract infection in outpatient settings: Focus on clarithromycin

Ashok Mahashur  1
Affiliations
Review

Management of lower respiratory tract infection in outpatient settings: Focus on clarithromycin

Ashok Mahashur. Lung India. 2018 Mar-Apr.

Abstract

Lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) is a broad terminology which includes acute bronchitis, pneumonia, acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease/chronic bronchitis (AECB), and acute exacerbation of bronchiectasis. Acute LRTIs (ALRTIs) are one of the common clinical problems in community and hospital settings. Management of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and AECB may pose challenges because of diagnostic difficulty in differentiating infections caused by typical and atypical microorganisms and rising rates of antimicrobial resistance. Beta-lactam antibiotics, macrolides, and fluoroquinolones are routinely prescribed medicines for the management of ALRTIs. Macrolides are time-tested and effective agents for the treatment of LRTIs. Clarithromycin, a macrolide, offers several benefits in the management of ALRTIs. In this article, we discuss the management approach of LRTIs with focus on clarithromycin in the management of mild-to-moderate LRTIs (CAP and AECB), i.e., in outpatient settings.

Keywords: Acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis; clarithromycin; community-acquired pneumonia; macrolides.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

References

    1. GBD 2015 Mortality and Causes of Death Collaborators. Global, regional, and national life expectancy, all-cause mortality, and cause-specific mortality for 249 causes of death, 1980-2015: A systematic analysis for the global burden of disease study 2015. Lancet. 2016;388:1459–544. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Jain S, Self WH, Wunderink RG, Fakhran S, Balk R, Bramley AM, et al. Community-acquired pneumonia requiring hospitalization among US adults. N Engl J Med. 2015;373:415–27. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Brar NK, Niederman MS. Management of community-acquired pneumonia: A review and update. Ther Adv Respir Dis. 2011;5:61–78. - PubMed
    1. Torres A, Peetermans WE, Viegi G, Blasi F. Risk factors for community-acquired pneumonia in adults in Europe: A literature review. Thorax. 2013;68:1057–65. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Yoon HK. Changes in the epidemiology and burden of community-acquired pneumonia in Korea. Korean J Intern Med. 2014;29:735–7. - PMC - PubMed