Introduction
Cefuroxime is an antibiotic from the group of cephalosporins. Like all antibiotics, cephalosporins have a harmful effect on bacteria. Cefuroxime does this by preventing growing bacteria from building up their cell wall.
This causes them to “burst” due to their internal pressure. Cefuroxime can either be injected into a vein or taken orally as a tablet. Cefuroxime taken as a tablet is called “cefuroxime axetil” because it contains a chemical appendage that allows it to be absorbed through the intestines.
However, it works just like normal cefuroxime. Typically, 2 x 0.5 g per day are taken. Oral treatment is used especially for bacterial infections of the respiratory tract, tonsils, throat, middle ear, sinuses, and for infections of the urinary tract, breasts and skin, provided the bacteria are sensitive to this antibiotic.
This is often the case due to the broad spectrum of activity of cefuroxime. Cefuroxime administered by venous route is also used for infections of various organs, for example pneumonia. Normally, 1.5 g is administered 3 times a day. In contrast to many other antibiotics, cefuroxime can overcome the so-called “blood–brain barrier” and thus also combat bacteria in the brain.
Cefuroxime during pregnancy and lactation
Cefuroxime is generally a drug that is often and gladly used by pregnant women: it is one of the “first choice” antibiotics for several diseases during pregnancy – which means that there are no better alternatives in these cases. These diseases include infections of the – Oral administration of medication is generally preferred during pregnancy. For this reason, cefuroxime is only administered venously in the case of serious or dangerous infections, for example infections of the kidneys or renal pelvis.
Because of the risk to the child, studies on the effectiveness of medication in pregnant women are not allowed, so the choice of antibiotic for infections during pregnancy is based on experience. Cefuroxime is one of the medications with which one already has relatively much experience. It has been found that cefuroxime does not harm the child in the early organ formation phase or in the later growth phase of pregnancy.
According to current knowledge, it is therefore described as non-teratogenic (= “not causing malformations”) and non-fetotoxic (= “not harmful to the child”). If taken correctly, it is therefore harmless for the child. Nevertheless, before each use during pregnancy, it should be checked whether the drug is necessary to avoid any risks that may have been overlooked.
Cefuroxime is also one of the first choice antibiotics during breastfeeding, because it only passes into breast milk in very small quantities and therefore hardly enters the baby’s circulation. In rare cases it can nevertheless cause diarrhoea in babies. – Urethra
- Urinary bladder
- Kidney and
- Breasts
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