Effect of Long-term, Low-Dose Erythromycin on Pulmonary Exacerbations Among Patients With Non-Cystic Fibrosis Bronchiectasis.

The article presents a study which was conducted to evaluate antimicrobial resistance cost of low dose erythromycin given and the clinical efficacy for 12 months to patients suffering with non- cystic fibrosis (CF) bronchiectasis with a pre-history of frequent pulmonary exacerbations. The study was conducted to analyse if macrolide antibiotics such as erythromycin improves clinical outcomes in non-CF bronchiectasis. The study involved randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of erythromycin in non-smoking adult patients who had no history of infective excerbations in the preceding year. The result revealed that the use of erythromycin resulted in decrease in rate of pulmonary exacerbations and increase in rate of macrolide resistance.