Table 1.
Findings From 2 Historical Clinical Studies Involving Erysipelas
| Study 1 |
Study 2 |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Variable | Ultraviolet Light (n = 104) | Prontosil (n = 106) | Ultraviolet Light (n = 135) | Sulphanilamidea (n = 135) |
| Deaths | 6 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Treatment discontinuation | 0 | 0 | 9b | 0 |
| Evaluable for cessation of spread of lesion | 98 | 102 | 122 | 130 |
| Cessation of lesion spread | ||||
| At 48 hours | 75/98 (76.5) | 100/102 (98) | 89/122 (73) | 129/130 (99.2) |
| At 72 hours | 86/98 (87.8) | 101/102 (99) | 103/122 (84.4) | 130/130 (100) |
| At 96 hours | 91/98 (92.9) | 102/102 (100) | 115/122 (94.3) | 130/130 (100) |
| Did not have fever | 9 | 10 | 10 | 5 |
| Evaluable for resolution of fever | 89 | 92 | 112 | 125 |
| Resolution of fever | ||||
| At 48 hours | 43/89 (48.3) | 70/92 (76.1) | 53/112 (47.3) | 94/125 (75.2) |
| At 72 hours | 55/89 (61.8) | 84/92 (91.3) | 67/112 (59.8) | 113/125 (90.4) |
| At 96 hours | 66/89 (74.2) | 86/92 (93.5) | 77/112 (68.8) | 122/125 (97.6) |
| Not “toxemic” at baseline | 11 | 5 | 6 | 2 |
| Evaluable for cessation of “toxemia” at 48 hours | 87 | 98 | 116 | 128 |
| Cessation of “toxemia” at 48 hours | 32/87 (39) | 58/98 (60) | 44/116 (37.9) | 60/128 (46.9) |
| Recurrence of erysipelas | 12 (11.5) | 9 (8.5) | 8 (5.9) | 2 (1.5) |
| Complications | 32 (30) | 23 (21) | 28 (20.7) | 11 (8.1) |
| Average duration of therapy | 2.6 days | (5 g total exposure) | 1.4 days | 2.5 days (high dose exposure) |
Data are No., No. (%), or proportion (%) of subjects, unless otherwise indicated. Data are from [11, 12] and unpublished (communication from the Food and Drug Administration to the Foundation of the National Institutes of Health, 5 May 2010).
a Patients continued to receive sulphanilamide during entire hospitalization, which resulted in numerically lower rates of recurrence and complications for this treatment group.
b “Failure” of ultraviolet light therapy.