Erythromycin and common cold in COPD

Study objectives: To investigate whether erythromycin therapy lowers the fr equency of the common cold and subsequent exacerbation in patients with COP D. Design: Prospective, randomized, controlled, but not blinded, trial. Patients: One hundred nine patients with COPD were enrolled into the study. Patients were randomly assigned to erythromycin therapy or to no active tr eatment in September 1997. Patients then were observed for 12 months, start ing in October, during which time the risk and frequency of catching common colds and COPD exacerbations were investigated. Fifty-five patients receiv ed erythromycin at study entry (erythromycin group). The remaining 54 patie nts received no active treatment (control group). Measurements and results: The mean (+/- SE) number of common colds for 12 m onths was significantly lower in the erythromycin group than in the control group (1.24 +/- 0.07 vs 4.54 +/- 0.02, respectively, per person; p = 0.000 2). Forty-one patients (76%) in the control group experienced common colds more than once, compared to 7 patients (13%) in the erythromycin group. The relative risk of developing two or more common colds in the control group compared with that in the erythromycin group was 9.26 (95% confidence inter val [CI], 3.92 to 31.74; p = 0.0001). Thirty patients (56%) in the control group and 6 patients (11%) in the erythromycin group had one or more exacer bations. The relative risk of experiencing an exacerbation in the control g roup compared with that in the erythromycin group was 4.71 (95% CI, 1.53 to 14.5; p = 0.007). Significantly more patients were hospitalized due to exa cerbations in the control group than in the erythromycin group (p = 0.0007) . Conclusion: Erythromycin therapy has beneficial effects on the prevention o f exacerbations in COPD patients.