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Evidence summaries

Antibiotics for Secondary Prevention of Coronary Disease

Macrolide antibiotics appear not to reduce cardiac events or mortality in patients with ischaemic heart disease. Level of evidence: "B"

A systematic review 1 including 9 studies with a total of 11,015 subjects was abstracted in DARE. Patients receiving macrolide antibiotics showed no statistically significant reduction in cardiac events or mortality relative to those on placebo; the relative risks were 0.94 (95% CI: 0.86 to 1.03) and 0.94 (95% CI: 0.79 to 1.12) for cardiac events and mortality, respectively.

Comment: The quality of evidence is downgraded by the results being (statistically nonsignificantly) in favour of antibiotics.

Primary/Secondary Keywords