The administration of rifampicin and ofloxacin orally is an effective therapy and is well tolerated by elderly patients with infected foot ulcers complicated by osteomyelitis. These data were obtained by French scientists and published in the December issue of the journal Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.

Rifampicin 600 mg x 2 times daily + ofloxacin 200 mg x 3 times daily for 6 months on average was prescribed to 17 patients with osteomyelitis complicating diabetic foot syndrome. Recovery, which was assessed as "the disappearance of all signs and symptoms of the disease at the end of treatment", occurred in 15 patients (88.2%), and in 13 patients (76.5% ) there was no relapse during treatment after 22 months of observation.

In 9 patients (47%), adverse drug reactions were recorded, mainly from the gastrointestinal tract and the nervous system, but treatment should not be stopped due to their development.

More than 85% of the microorganisms isolated from ulcers and sequestrants were cocci in grams (+). In two patients with staphylococcal osteomyelitis, the combined treatment rifampicin + ofloxacin was found to be ineffective. Multidrug-resistant strains of microorganisms were isolated from 4 patients.

Thus, the approach to the treatment of osteomyelitis in patients with diabetic foot syndrome must conform to the basic standards for the treatment of chronic osteomyelitis.