[Joint tolerance of pefloxacin and ofloxacin in children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis].

Retrospective analysis of 63 patients with mucoviscidosis (age: 11 to 21 years), treated with pefloxacine, shows the occurrence of arthropathies ascribed to pefloxacine in 9 patients (age: 9 to 20 years), or 14% of the patients under treatment. The dose of pefloxacine was normal (9 to 16 mg/kg/day) in all cases, except one case of overdose (29 mg/kg/day). Mechanical arthralgias, affect the knees, elbows and wrists, resulting in functional discomfort, and frequently accompanied by mechanical synovial extravasation. They always subside after pefloxacine is discontinued. The role of age is essential as the incidence of arthropathies reaches 45% when pefloxacine is first administered between the ages of 15 and 20 years. Retrospective analysis of 37 patients with mucoviscidosis (age: 2 to 20 years), treated with ofloxacine, failed to show any joint complication. In this study, the best joint tolerance of ofloxacine, compared with pefloxacine is statistically significant. Arthropathies induced by pefloxacine represent an original entity which seems related to the cartilage toxicity of quinolones, observed in animal experiments, during growth.