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QT prolongation is a known side effect of azithromycin in some patients and therefore confers a theoretical risk for sudden cardiac death. Some prior observational studies have substantiated that risk, but others have not.
Researchers in this retrospective cohort study used datasets from an integrated California health system to identify a cohort of ≈3 million patients who had ≈1.7 million exposures to azithromycin and ≈6 million exposures to the comparator amoxicillin. Because cardiovascular risks associated with azithromycin are thought to be acute, follow-up from index exposures was limited to 10 days after prescription dates.
A total of 485 deaths occurred within 10 days. In highly adjusted analyses, risks for cardiovascular-related, nonc…