Management of recurrent tonsillitis in children.

OBJECTIVE: To compare azithromycin (AZT) and benzathine penicillin (BP) in the treatment of recurrent tonsillitis in children.

METHODS: The study comprised of 350 children with recurrent streptococcal tonsillitis, 284 of whom completed the study and 162 children received conventional surgical treatment. The rest of the children, 122, were divided randomly into two equal main groups. Group A children received a single intramuscular BP (600,000IU for children≤27kg and 1,200,000IU for ≥27kg) every two weeks for six months. Group B children received single oral AZT (250mg for children≤25kg and 500mg for ≥25kg) once weekly for six months.

RESULTS: Both groups showed marked significant reduction in recurrent tonsillitis that is comparable to results of tonsillectomy. There were no statistical differences between group A and B regarding the recurrence of infections and drug safety after six-month follow-up. Group B showed better compliance.

CONCLUSION: AZT proved to be good alternative to BP in the management of recurrent tonsillitis with results similar to those obtained after tonsillectomy.