COMPARISON OF SULFATHIAZOLE AND SULFAPYRIDINE IN TREATMENT OF PNEUMOCOCCIC PNEUMONIA

Abstract

The comparative effectiveness and toxicity of sulfathiazole 2-sulfanilamidothiazole and sulfapyridine in the treatment of pneumococcic pneumonia has been reported by Flippin, Schwartz and Rose.¹ The corrected mortality for the sulfathiazole-treated series was 7.4 per cent and for the sulfapyridine-treated series 11.4 per cent. Sulfapyridine reduced the temperature more rapidly than sulfathiazole, but the average number of hospital days for patients in the two groups was the same, thirteen and two-tenths days. The severity and frequency of nausea and vomiting were less in the group of patients treated with sulfathiazole. Other toxic manifestations were approximately equally frequent. At Cleveland City Hospital from January to June 1940, 40 patients with typed pneumococcic pneumonia were treated with sulfathiazole² and 62 with sulfapyridine. Eighteen extremely ill patients (5 in the sulfathiazole-treated group and 13 in the sulfapyridine-treated group) received specific antipneumococcus serum intravenously in addition to chemotherapy. One or more blood cultures,