Table 2.

Treatment comparison with respective results, risk ratio, and CI.^a

Comparison	Measurement	Results	RRb (95% CI)	Studies, n	Patients, n
Macrolides/streptogramins vs penicillin antibiotics	Symptoms rated by participant or medical practitioner	Macrolides/streptogramins were superior	0.84 (0.73-0.97)	25	2488
Oral macrolide vs IVc penicillin	Symptoms rated by participant or medical practitioner	Oral therapy was superior	0.85 (0.73-0.98)	3	419
Penicillin vs cephalosporin	Symptoms rated by participant or medical practitioner	No difference in treatment effect	0.99 (0.68-1.43)	3	88
Cephalosporin vs cephalosporind	Symptoms rated by participant or medical practitioner	No difference in treatment effect	1.00 (0.94-1.06)	6	538

^aPrimary outcomes included symptoms rated by participant or medical practitioner (eg, duration and intensity of fever, pain, redness of the affected area, swelling of the skin surface and subcutaneous tissue, blister formation), proportion symptom‐free (cure), and at a time specified by the study authors), the proportion with severe complications (eg, severe sepsis, multi-organ failure, or death), and quality of life scores (ie, generic and disease-specific items and return to normal activity).

^bRR: relative risk.

^cIV: intravenous.

^dAggregate data from studies evaluating the following cephalosporins: ceftriaxone, cefdinir, cefonicid, cefditoren, cefadroxil, and cefuroxime.