A comparative study of efficacy and safety of azithromycin and ofloxacin in uncomplicated typhoid Fever: a randomised, open labelled study.

OBJECTIVE To compare the efficacy and safety of azithromycin with ofloxacin in patients with uncomplicated typhoid fever. MATERIAL AND METHODS Forty adult patients with bacteriologically or serologically diagnosed, uncomplicated typhoid fever were included from Medicine out-patient department at Government medical college, Amritsar, India. They were randomized into 2 groups of 20 patients each. Group I: patients received ofloxacin 200mg orally twice daily for 7 days. Group II: Patients received Azithromycin orally 1 gm on day 1 and then 500 mg daily from day 2 to day 6. The following parameters were noted a) fever clearance time b) cure rate c) adverse drug reaction d) recurrence of symptoms, if any, during 4 weeks follow up. RESULTS Nineteen out of 20 patients from group I were cured with mean fever clearance time of 3.68 days while all 20 patients from group II were cured with mean fever clearance time of 3.65 days. No significant side effects were noted in any of the patients. No relapse was recorded in the present study in a follow up period of 4 weeks in both study groups. CONCLUSION Both ofloxacin and Azithromycin are almost equally efficacious and safe in treatment of typhoid fever with no major adverse effect. Azithromycin is an effective alternative in conditions where ofloxacin is contraindicated i.e., children, pregnant women and quinolone resistant cases of typhoid fever.