MODERN TREATMENT OF PNEUMOCOCCIC PNEUMONIA

Abstract

Within the past five years numerous clinical reports have established that sulfonamide therapy, properly conducted, is an effective form of treatment for pneumococcic pneumonia. It is appropriate at this time, therefore, to evaluate the comparative merits of the sulfonamide compounds which have been used in the treatment of pneumococcic pneumonia as well as to consider some of the more important problems concerned with their rational use. This report is based on experience with 1,635 cases of pneumococcic pneumonia of adults treated with sulfapyridine, sulfathiazole or sulfadiazine in the medical wards¹ of the Philadelphia General Hospital between Aug. 15, 1938 and April 1, 1942. For this study we have included all patients with a diagnosis of pneumococcic pneumonia who received sulfapyridine, sulfathiazole or sulfadiazine regardless of the amount of drug administered. In general, the three therapeutic groups were comparable as to distribution of sex, race, age, pneumococcus type, antecedent disease