SynthesisThe Cochrane database of systematic reviews2003
Inhaled sodium cromoglycate for asthma in children.
Synthesis in The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, 2003. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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
5 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 22 citations in OpenAlex.
- Inhaled sodium cromoglycate for asthma in children.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2008Pooled it
- Pharmacotherapy--first-line maintenance therapy.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2005Guideline
- Comparison and review of international guidelines for treating asthma in children.Clinical and experimental pediatrics · 2024Article
- Trials and Treatments: An Update on Pharmacotherapy for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Effects of Sodium Cromoglycate on Iranian Asthmatic Subjects Without Exposure to any Bronchoconstrictor agent.Iranian journal of pharmaceutical research : IJPR · 2012Article
Corrections and comments
- Updated by
Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSodium cromoglycate has been recommended as maintenance treatment for childhood asthma for many years. Its use has decreased since 1990, when inhaled corticosteroids became popular, but it is still used in many countries.
objectivesTo determine the efficacy of sodium cromoglycate compared to placebo in the prophylactic treatment of children with asthma. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched the Cochrane Airways Group Asthma trials register (November 2002), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library Issue 3, 2002), MEDLINE (January 1966 to November 2002), EMBASE (January 1985 to November 2002) and reference lists of articles. We also contacted the pharmaceutical company manufacturing sodium cromoglycate SELECTION CRITERIA: All double-blind placebo-controlled randomised trials, which addressed the effectiveness of inhaled sodium cromoglycate as maintenance therapy, studying children aged 0 up to 18 years with asthma. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two reviewers independently assessed trial quality and extracted data. Study results were pooled. MAIN
resultsOf 3500 titles retrieved from the literature, 25 papers reporting on 24 studies could be included in the review. The studies were published between 1970 and 1997 and together included 1074 participants. Most were cross-over studies. Few studies provided sufficient information to judge the concealment of allocation. Four studies provided results for the proportion of symptom-free days. Pooling the results did not reveal a statistically significant difference between sodium cromoglycate and placebo. For most of the other outcomes, the results were similar: small effect size and a confidence interval including the point of no difference. The funnel plot showed an under representation of small studies with negative results, suggesting publication bias. REVIEWER'S
conclusionsThe evidence of the efficacy of sodium cromoglycate over placebo is not proven. Publication bias is likely to have overestimated the beneficial effects of sodium cromoglycate as maintenance therapy in childhood asthma.
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.