Real-World Effects of Antibiotic Treatment on Acute COPD Exacerbations in Outpatients: A Cohort Study under the PharmLines Initiative

Yuanyuan Wang*, Victor Pera, H. Marike Boezen, Jan-Willem C. Alffenaar, Bob Wilffert, Rolf H. H. Groenwold, Eelko Hak

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)
67 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Background: Although antibiotic treatment is recommended for acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD), its value in real-world settings is still controversial. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the short- and long-term effects of antibiotic treatment on AECOPD outpatients. Methods: A cohort study was conducted under the PharmLines Initiative. We included participants with a first recorded diagnosis of COPD who received systemic glucocorticoid treatment for an AECOPD episode. The exposed and reference groups were defined based on any antibiotic prescription during the AECOPD treatment. The short-term outcome was AECOPD treatment failure within 14-30 days after the index date. The long-term outcome was time to the next exacerbation. Adjustment for confounding was made using propensity scores. Results: Of the 1,105 AECOPD patients, antibiotics were prescribed to 518 patients (46.9%) while 587 patients (53.1%) received no antibiotics. The overall antibiotic use was associated with a relative risk reduction of AECOPD treatment failure by 37% compared with the reference group (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.63 [95% CI: 0.40-0.99]). Protective effects were similar for doxycycline, macrolides, and co-amoxiclav, although only the effect of doxycycline was statistically significant (aOR 0.53 [95% CI: 0.28-0.99]). No protective effect was seen for amoxicillin (aOR 1.49 [95% CI: 0.78-2.84]). The risk of and time to the next exacerbation was similar for both groups. Conclusion: Overall, antibiotic treatment, notably with doxycycline, supplementing systemic glucocorticoids reduces short-term AECOPD treatment failure in real-world outpatient settings. No long-term beneficial effects of antibiotic treatment on AECOPD were found for the prevention of subsequent exacerbations.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)553-564
Number of pages12
JournalRespiration
Volume101
Issue number6
Early online date3-Jan-2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun-2022

Keywords

  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
  • Acute exacerbation
  • Antibiotics
  • Treatment failure
  • Outpatients
  • Cohort
  • OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY-DISEASE
  • DATABASE IADB.NL
  • PRESCRIPTION
  • OUTCOMES
  • THERAPY

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