TY - JOUR
T1 - Acyclovir treatment of varicella in otherwise healthy children
AU - Balfour, Henry H
AU - Kelly, Joan M.
AU - Suarez, Carmen S.
AU - Heussner, Ralph C.
AU - Englund, Janet A.
AU - Crane, Deborah D.
AU - McGuirt, Paul V.
AU - Clemmer, Anne F.
AU - Aeppli, Dorothee M.
PY - 1990/4
Y1 - 1990/4
N2 - Study objective: To determine whether acyclovir administered orally affects the duration and severity of varicella in otherwise normal children. Design: Randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial. Setting: Patients' residence and university hospital clinic. Patients: One hundred five children between 5 and 16 years of age with laboratory-confirmed varicella entered the study. Of the 102 who were included in the final analysis, 50 received acyclovir and 52 received placebo. Interventions: Placebo or acyclovir was given orally four times daily, for 5 to 7 days. The acyclovir dose was adjusted as follows: 5 to 7 years of age, 20 mg/kg; 7 to 12 years, 15 mg/kg; and 12 to 16 years, 10 mg/kg. Measurements and main results: Acyclovir recipients, compared with the placebo group, defervesced sooner (median, 1 day vs 2 days; p=0.001), experienced onset of cutaneous healing sooner, as reflected by a decrease in number of lesions (median, 3 days vs 2 days; p=0.002), and had fewer skin lesions (median, 500 vs 336; p=0.02). Acyclovir did not significantly change the rate of complications of varicella (10% in the acyclovir group vs 13.5% among placebo subjects). Adverse drug effects were not observed. Acyclovir recipients had lower geometric mean serum antibody titers to varicella-zoster virus than their placebo counterparts 4 weeks after the onset of illness, but antibody titers in both groups were similar 1 year later. Conclusions: These results provide evidence that acyclovir is useful and well tolerated for treatment of varicella in otherwise healthy children.
AB - Study objective: To determine whether acyclovir administered orally affects the duration and severity of varicella in otherwise normal children. Design: Randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial. Setting: Patients' residence and university hospital clinic. Patients: One hundred five children between 5 and 16 years of age with laboratory-confirmed varicella entered the study. Of the 102 who were included in the final analysis, 50 received acyclovir and 52 received placebo. Interventions: Placebo or acyclovir was given orally four times daily, for 5 to 7 days. The acyclovir dose was adjusted as follows: 5 to 7 years of age, 20 mg/kg; 7 to 12 years, 15 mg/kg; and 12 to 16 years, 10 mg/kg. Measurements and main results: Acyclovir recipients, compared with the placebo group, defervesced sooner (median, 1 day vs 2 days; p=0.001), experienced onset of cutaneous healing sooner, as reflected by a decrease in number of lesions (median, 3 days vs 2 days; p=0.002), and had fewer skin lesions (median, 500 vs 336; p=0.02). Acyclovir did not significantly change the rate of complications of varicella (10% in the acyclovir group vs 13.5% among placebo subjects). Adverse drug effects were not observed. Acyclovir recipients had lower geometric mean serum antibody titers to varicella-zoster virus than their placebo counterparts 4 weeks after the onset of illness, but antibody titers in both groups were similar 1 year later. Conclusions: These results provide evidence that acyclovir is useful and well tolerated for treatment of varicella in otherwise healthy children.
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U2 - 10.1016/S0022-3476(05)81618-X
DO - 10.1016/S0022-3476(05)81618-X
M3 - Article
C2 - 2156984
AN - SCOPUS:0025278927
VL - 116
SP - 633
EP - 639
JO - Journal of Pediatrics
JF - Journal of Pediatrics
SN - 0022-3476
IS - 4
ER -