Over-the-counter (OTC) medications to reduce cough as an adjunct to antibiotics for acute pneumonia in children and adults

The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
Christina C ChangAnne B Chang

Abstract

Cough is often distressing for patients with pneumonia. Accordingly they often use over-the-counter (OTC) cough medications (mucolytics or cough suppressants). These might provide relief in reducing cough severity, but suppression of the cough mechanism might impede airway clearance and cause harm. To evaluate the efficacy of OTC cough medications as an adjunct to antibiotics in children and adults with pneumonia. We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library 2011, Issue 3) which contains the Acute Respiratory Infections Group's Specialised Register, MEDLINE (January 1966 to July week 4, 2011), OLDMEDLINE (1950 to 1965), EMBASE (1980 to August 2011), CINAHL (2009 to August 2011), LILACS (2009 to August 2011) and Web of Science (2009 to August 2011). Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in children and adults comparing any type of OTC cough medication with placebo, or control medication, with cough as an outcome and where the cough is secondary to acute pneumonia. We independently selected trials for inclusion. We extracted data from these studies, assessed them for methodological quality without disagreement and analyzed using standard methods. Four studies with a total of 224 par...Continue Reading

Citations

Jul 14, 2016·The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews·Samantha J GardinerHelen L Petsky
Feb 26, 2014·The British Journal of General Practice : the Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners·Marleen HamoenUNKNOWN GRACE clinical study group
Mar 13, 2014·The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews·Christina C ChangAnne B Chang

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