SAN FRANCISCO — Azithromycin had no influence on the clinical course of pityriasis rosea, according to a poster presentation of a small randomized controlled trial at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies.
The etiologic agent for pityriasis rosea, an acute inflammatory skin disease common in children and adolescents, is unknown. A study published in 2000 reported complete resolution of symptoms in 73% of patients treated with erythromycin (J. Am. Acad. Dermatol. 2000;42:241–4).
Dr. Ahdi Amer and Dr. Howard Fischer, of the Wayne State University, Detroit, treated 49 children an average of 1.5 weeks after a diagnosis of pityriasis rosea. The children, aged 2–18 years, were randomly assigned to get a 5-day course of azithromycin or placebo, the researchers said at the meeting, sponsored by the American Pediatric Society, the Society for Pediatric Research, the Ambulatory Pediatric Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Fifteen patients in the azithromycin group (60%) and 10 in the placebo group (42%) had complete resolution of symptoms within 2 weeks. Seven patients in each group had partial resolution. There were three treatment failures in the azithromycin group and seven in the placebo group. These differences weren't statistically significant.