LAUSR

OBJECTIVES We aimed to compare the discontinuation rates attributed to adverse events and treatment outcomes between clarithromycin and azithromycin in patients with Mycobacterium avium complex lung disease (MAC-LD). METHODS Among patients diagnosed with MAC-LD in 2001-2013, 560 in whom treatment was initiated as a guideline-based therapy until May 2018 were selected for adverse event analysis. Of them, 316 patients who underwent treatment for ≥12 months were selected for outcome analysis. Their medical records were retrospectively reviewed. The discontinuation and treatment success rates were analyzed after adjustments using the inverse probability of treatment weighted (IPTW) method. RESULTS Among the 560 patients, 466 (83.2%) and 94 (16.8%) were initiated CLR- and AZM-containing regimens, respectively. The IPTW method using propensity score revealed that the discontinuation rate attributed to adverse events was significantly higher with CLR use than with AZM use (24.6% vs. 9.6%; P = 0.001). The overall treatment success rate of the 316 patients who received guideline-based therapy for ≥12 months was 83.2%. Analysis adjusted by the IPTW method showed no significant difference in the treatment success rate between the use of CLR and AZM; furthermore, 1- and 3-year recurrence rates were similar with the two drugs (6.8% vs. 6.0%; P > 0.999 and 31.0% vs. 37.5%; P = 0.482, respectively). CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that AZM containing regimen may be the better initial choice for the treatment of MAC-LD as it results in lesser discontinuation rate attributed to adverse events while offering similar patient outcomes when compared with the CLR.