Background: Influenza infections commonly lead to respiratory tract complications that result in antibiotic treatment.
Objectives: To determine frequency of respiratory events leading to antibiotic use following influenza illness in adolescents and adults, and to assess whether treatment with topical zanamivir prevents these complications.
Methods: Meta-analysis of 7 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials; 3815 mainly healthy adolescents and adults (mean age, 34 years) with an influenzalike illness of less than 2 days' duration were randomly assigned to receive combined inhaled and intranasal zanamivir, inhaled zanamivir, or corresponding placebos. Twelve percent of enrolled subjects were high-risk patients. The main outcome was the incidence of respiratory events leading to antibiotic prescriptions in patients with proven influenza.
Results: Influenza infections were laboratory confirmed in 2499 (66%) of 3815 patients (influenza A in 88% and B in 12%). Placebo recipients developed a respiratory event leading to antibiotic use in 17% of cases, mainly for acute bronchitis or acute sinusitis. Among zanamivir-treated patients (n = 1494) the incidence of respiratory events leading to the use of antimicrobials was 11% (relative risk [RR] compared with placebo, 0.69; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.57-0.84). Intranasal and inhaled zanamivir seemed to reduce the number of upper (RR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.36-0.97) and lower respiratory tract events (RR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.38-1.08). Inhaled zanamivir reduced the number of lower respiratory tract events (RR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.42-0.85), but the reduction in the number of upper respiratory tract events was not statistically significant (RR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.63-1.27).
Conclusions: Respiratory complications or worsening of symptoms leading to antibiotic use occurred in about 17% of adolescents or adults with influenza infection. Early treatment of influenza illness with zanamivir reduced the number of these antibiotic prescriptions. Arch Intern Med. 2000;160:3234-3240.