SynthesisBMJ (Clinical research ed.)2002
Systematic review of randomised controlled trials of over the counter cough medicines for acute cough in adults.
Synthesis in BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 2002. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 36 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
36 citing papers in PubMed, 154 citations in OpenAlex.
- Trial
- Sweet taste and menthol increase cough reflex thresholds.Pulmonary pharmacology & therapeutics · 2012Trial
- Health Canada advisory impacts on the prevalence of oral codeine use in the Pediatric Canadian population: comparative study across provinces.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Article
- Treatment with the P2X3-Receptor Antagonist Gefapixant for Acute Cough in Induced Viral Upper Respiratory Tract Infection: A Phase 2a, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial.Pulmonary therapy · 2022Article
- Efficacy and Safety of Lianhua Qingke Tablets in the Treatment of Mild and Common-Type COVID-19: A Randomized, Controlled, Multicenter Clinical Study.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2022Article
- Use of antitussive medications in acute cough in young children.Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians open · 2021Article
- Confronting COVID-19-associated cough and the post-COVID syndrome: role of viral neurotropism, neuroinflammation, and neuroimmune responses.The Lancet. Respiratory medicine · 2021Review
- Central adenosine ABritish journal of pharmacology · 2018Article
- The emerging role of transient receptor potential channels in chronic lung disease.The European respiratory journal · 2017Review
- Deregulation of sale of over-the-counter drugs outside of pharmacies in the Republic of Korea: interrupted-time-series analysis of outpatient visits before and after the policy.BMC health services research · 2017Article
- Transient receptor potential cation channel, subfamily V, member 4 and airway sensory afferent activation: Role of adenosine triphosphate.The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology · 2016Article
- How does rhinovirus cause the common cold cough?BMJ open respiratory research · 2016Article
- Mechanical Stimulation by Postnasal Drip Evokes Cough.PloS one · 2015Article
- Theophylline inhibits the cough reflex through a novel mechanism of action.The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology · 2014Article
- Review
- Article
- Pre-clinical studies in cough research: role of Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) channels.Pulmonary pharmacology & therapeutics · 2013Review
- Transient receptor potential channels mediate the tussive response to prostaglandin E2 and bradykinin.Thorax · 2012Article
- The medico-professional quality of GP consultations assessed by analysing patient records.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2011Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTo determine whether over the counter cough medicines are effective for acute cough in adults.
designSystematic review of randomised controlled trials. DATA SOURCES: Search of the Cochrane Acute Respiratory Infections Group specialised register, Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, Medline, Embase, and the UK Department of Health National Research Register in all languages. INCLUDED STUDIES: All randomised controlled trials that compared oral over the counter cough preparations with placebo in adults with acute cough due to upper respiratory tract infection in ambulatory settings and that had cough symptoms as an outcome.
results15 trials involving 2166 participants met all the inclusion criteria. Antihistamines seemed to be no better than placebo. There was conflicting evidence on the effectiveness of antitussives, expectorants, antihistamine-decongestant combinations, and other drug combinations compared with placebo.
conclusionOver the counter cough medicines for acute cough cannot be recommended because there is no good evidence for their effectiveness. Even when trials had significant results, the effect sizes were small and of doubtful clinical relevance. Because of the small number of trials in each category, the results have to be interpreted cautiously.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.