| Summary: | 碩士 === 東海大學 === 工業工程與經營資訊學系 === 98 === Recurrent cellulitis of lower limb is usually caused by streptococcal infection. The patients probably need several visits for medication during period of the acute stage, which make their affected limbs painful and also limit their activities, even decrease their income. In this study, we retrospectively evaluate the effectiveness about the prophylactic antibiotic benzathine penicillin intramuscular injections every four weeks for these patients with presumed streptococcal recurrent cellulitis of lower limb and they ever had the same occurrence within recent five years. We also compare with average cost of prescribed antibiotics in recurrent events of each group in the backward 18-month follow-up. Forty-eight patients, enrolled in this study, are divided into two major groups, study groups, 40 cases (subgroup A, 18 cases, received complete course; subgroup B, 22 cases, only partially received) and control group, 44 cases (did not receive any one) according to status of receiving prophylactic antibiotic.
As a result, the recurrent rate of study group and its subgroup A is 37.5%, 27.8% respectively, whichever is statistically lower than one (61.4%) of control group (p = 0.029 and 0.016 respectively). Recurrent episodes of study group or of its subgroup A are also statistically lower than those of control group (p = 0.003 and 0.002 respectively). No significant differences in recurrent rates or in frequencies of recurrent episode present between study subgroup B and A or between subgroup B and control group. Therefore, we concluded that the patients received complete prophylactic courses will be probably beneficial for prophylaxis in recurrent cellulitis of lower limb. However, it is of no benefit for prophylaxis in the patients who only received partial prophylactic ones.
During the period of 18-month follow-up, there is no significant difference in average cost in every episode between study and control groups. It is worthy to receive complete prophylactic course for the patients who ever encountered recurrent cellulitis of lower limb within recent five years.
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