Summary of findings 5. Cotrimoxazole versus fluoroquinolones (norfloxacin) for Shigella dysentery.
| Cotrimoxazole versus fluoroquinolones (norfloxacin) for Shigella dysentery | ||||||
| Patient or population: patients with Shigella dysentery Settings: Peru Intervention: Cotrimoxazole versus fluoroquinolones (norfloxacin) | ||||||
| Outcomes | Illustrative comparative risks* (95% CI) | Relative effect (95% CI) | No of Participants (studies) | Quality of the evidence (GRADE) | Comments | |
| Assumed risk | Corresponding risk | |||||
| Control | Cotrimoxazole versus fluoroquinolones (norfloxacin) | |||||
| Diarrhoea on follow up ‐ not reported | See comment | See comment | Not estimable | ‐ | See comment | Outcome assessed as number of days to last unformed stool. Data not available for proportions with diarrhoea on follow up. |
| Relapse ‐ not reported | See comment | See comment | Not estimable | ‐ | See comment | The trial followed up participants for 14 days. Relapses were not reported in this time. |
| Serious adverse events ‐ not reported | See comment | See comment | Not estimable | ‐ | See comment | No participant is reported to have developed serious adverse events leading to death or hospitalisation. |
| Other adverse events clinical criteria Follow‐up: 2 weeks | 0 per 1000 | 0 per 1000 (0 to 0) | RR 2.82 (0.12 to 66.62) | 62 (1 study) | ⊕⊝⊝⊝ very low1,2,3 | |
| *The basis for the assumed risk (e.g. the median control group risk across studies) is provided in footnotes. The corresponding risk (and its 95% confidence interval) is based on the assumed risk in the comparison group and the relative effect of the intervention (and its 95% CI). CI: Confidence interval; RR: Risk ratio; | ||||||
| GRADE Working Group grades of evidence High quality: Further research is very unlikely to change our confidence in the estimate of effect. Moderate quality: Further research is likely to have an important impact on our confidence in the estimate of effect and may change the estimate. Low quality: Further research is very likely to have an important impact on our confidence in the estimate of effect and is likely to change the estimate. Very low quality: We are very uncertain about the estimate. | ||||||
1 Very serious limitations: Inadequate allocation concealment and blinding and very inadequate outcome data reporting (for only 32% of 174 randomized). Baseline imbalance in antibiotic sensitivity (100% sensitivity in norfloxacin arm and 84% in the cotrimoxazole arm). 2 Serious indirectness: The trial included only adults. 3 Very serious imprecision: The 95% CI of the pooled estimate includes appreciable benefit and appreciable harm with cotrimoxazole and norfloxacin.