Efficacy of oral administration of ofloxacin in lower respiratory tract infections in aged patients with chronic lung disease

The efficacy of ofloxacin for the treatment of lower respiratory tract infection was evaluated in aged patients with chronic lung disease. Results are the following: improvement of leukocytosis and arterial oxygen tension was observed; peripheral blood cell analysis showed a decrease in natural killer cell counts and in helper/suppressor T cell ratio; superoxide production by peripheral blood white cells was decreased after treatment; interleukin-2 production was rather increased. We concluded that improvement in the immunological parameters indicated the efficacy of ofloxacin for lower respiratory tract infection in aged patients with chronic lung disease.