Changes in symptoms, peak expiratory flow, and sputum flora during treatment with antibiotics of exacerbations in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in general practice.

Abstract

Antibiotics given with a short course of oral prednisolone during an exacerbation do not accelerate recovery as measured by changes in peak flow and symptom scores in ambulatory patients with mild to moderate asthma or COPD when treated by their general practitioners. Moreover, antibiotics do not reduce the number of relapses after treating an exacerbation.