بررسي اثرات اريترومايسين با دوز كم و طولاني مدت در بهبود وضعيت تنفسي مصدومين ناشي از موستارد

Improvement of the Respiratory System by Long-term Low-dose Erythromycin in Sulfur Mustard Exposed Patients

Objective: This study evaluates its efficacy of long-term low-does Erythromycin in symptomatic improvement of Sulfur Mustard (SM) exposed patients. Material and Methods: Low-dose Erythromycin (EM) in doses of 400-600 mg/day was administered in 43 patients with documented history of SM exposure for 6 months. All patients were refractory to the bronchiodilators and corticosteroids. Dyspnea, sleep disturbances, cough and hemoptysis were evaluated by a questionnaire beginning and at the end of the study period. Results: The intensity and frequency of Dyspnea, sleep disturbance due to Dyspnea, cough and hemoptysis were all reduced significantly after treatment (p=0.05). Conclusion: The results of this preliminary study show that low- dose EM may improve respiratory symptoms in SM injured patients, and randomized double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trials are indicated to prove this. Given the suggestive diagnosis of bronchiolitis obliterans (BO) in SM exposed patients, the results imply that EM may be helpful in management of BO.