Efficacy and safety of short-course antibiotic therapy for community-acquired pneumonia in adults: a meta-analysis

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Short-course antibiotic therapy (≤5 days) for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) shows comparable efficacy to long-course therapy (>5 days) in clinical success.
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The meta-analysis included 21 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing short-course versus long-course antibiotic therapies in adults with CAP.
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Short-course regimens were associated with a marginally higher risk of mild treatment-related adverse events but showed a non-significant trend in serious adverse events.
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The systematic review adhered to PRISMA 2020 guidelines and was registered with PROSPERO, ensuring methodological rigor in the analysis.
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Optimizing antibiotic duration for CAP is crucial for antimicrobial stewardship, aiming to reduce resistance and adverse drug events while maintaining efficacy.

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