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Purpose: Azithromycin is a common first‐line antibiotic for respiratory infection; however, there is conflicting evidence regarding risk of cardiovascular death. We assessed cardiovascular and noncardiovascular mortality associated with azithromycin versus amoxicillin–clavulanate among US Veterans treated for nonear–nose–throat respiratory infection ("respiratory") or ear–nose–throat infection indication. Methods: Electronic health record data from the US Veterans Health Administration database were used to identify Veterans (30–74 years) with outpatient dispensings of oral azithromycin versus amoxicillin–clavulanate for respiratory or ear–nose–throat infection (January 01, 2000–December 31, 2014). Outcomes assessed were risk of cardiovascular death and noncardiovascular death within 1–5 and 6–10 days postdispensing. Inverse probability of treatment‐weighted proportional hazards models and binomial regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and compute risk differences (RD) per million courses of therapy. Cardiac death (subset of cardiovascular death) was assessed in sensitivity analyses. Results: There were 629 345 azithromycin and 168 429 amoxicillin–clavulanate dispensings for respiratory indications, 143 783 azithromycin, and 203 142 amoxicillin–clavulanate dispensings for ear–nose–throat indications. For respiratory indications, azithromycin was not associated with a significantly different risk of cardiovascular death versus amoxicillin–clavulanate within 1–5 days postdispensing (HR [95% confidence interval (CI)]: 1.12 [0.63, 2.00]; RD [95% CI]: 11 [−43, 64] deaths/million courses of therapy). No elevated risk for azithromycin was found for ear–nose–throat indications. Pooled results for both indications via meta‐analysis showed no association between antibiotics and cardiovascular mortality. There was no significant difference in risk of noncardiovascular or cardiac death between antibiotics postdispensing. Conclusion: Azithromycin was not associated with elevated risk of cardiovascular or noncardiovascular death versus amoxicillin–clavulanate among US Veterans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background We sought to quantify the impact of patient characteristics on complications and health care costs associated with influenza and influenza-like illness (ILI) in a nonelderly population. Methods Patients with medical reimbursement claims for influenza in the 1996–1997 season were identified from the automated database of a large private New England Insurer (NEI). Influenza care during the 21- day follow-up period was characterized according to age, gender, vaccine status, co-morbidities, prior influenza/ILI episodes, treatments, and recent health care costs and related diagnoses. Results There were 6,241 patients. Approximately 20% had preexisting chronic lung disease. Overall, 23% had health care services for possible complications, among which respiratory diagnoses were the most common (13%). Two percent of the influenza/ILI episodes involved hospitalization, with a median stay of five days. Factors most strongly predictive of hospitalizations and complications were preexisting malignancy (hospitalizations OR = 3.7 and complications OR = 2.4), chronic heart disease (OR = 3.2 and OR = 1.8), diabetes (OR = 2.2 and OR = 1.7) and recent illnesses that would have counted as complications had they occurred during an influenza/ILI episode (hospitalizations OR = 3.2 and complications OR = 1.5). The same factors affected influenza-related costs and total costs of care as dramatically as they affected complication rates. Conclusions Influenza/ILI-related costs are driven by the characteristics that predict complications of influenza. Patients with chronic illness and those with recent acute respiratory events are the most likely to experience complications and hospitalizations.