Evidence map›Paper›PMID 19242860›Full record

ArticleScandinavian journal of primary health care2009

Sputum colour for diagnosis of a bacterial infection in patients with acute cough.

Attila Altiner, Stefan Wilm, Walter Däubener, Christiane Bormann, Michael Pentzek, Heinz-Harald Abholz, Martin Scherer

Open access · bronzeAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scandinavian journal of primary health care, 2009. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
14citing papers in PubMed
3.3field-weighted citation impact, top 8% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

14 citing papers in PubMed, 62 citations in OpenAlex.

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  12. The diagnosis and treatment of acute cough in adults.Deutsches Arzteblatt international · 2014
    Article
  13. Article
  14. Improvement of Mycobacterium tuberculosis detection in sputum using DNA extracted by sonication.The Brazilian journal of infectious diseases : an official publication of the Brazilian Society of Infectious Diseases
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

Attila AltinerDepartment of General Practice, University Hospital, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany. altiner@med.uni-duesseldorf.de
Stefan Wilm
Walter Däubener
Christiane Bormann
Michael Pentzek
Heinz-Harald Abholz
Martin Scherer
Düsseldorf University Hospital · DEHeinrich Heine University Düsseldorf · DEInstitute of Molecular Biology · AMUniversity of Göttingen · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveSputum colour plays an important role in the disease concepts for acute cough, both in the patients' and the doctors' view. However, it is unclear whether the sputum colour can be used for diagnosis of a bacterial infection.

designCross-sectional study.

settingA total of 42 GP practices in Dusseldorf, Germany. SUBJECTS: Sputum samples obtained from 241 patients suffering from an episode of acute cough seeing their doctor within a routine consultation.

main outcome measuresRelation of sputum colour and microbiological proof of bacterial infection defined as positive culture and at least a moderate number of leucocytes per low magnification field.

resultsIn 28 samples (12%) a bacterial infection was proven. Yellowish or greenish colour of the sputum sample and bacterial infection showed a significant correlation (p = 0.014, Fisher's exact test). The sensitivity of yellowish or greenish sputum used as a test for a bacterial infection was 0.79 (95% CI 0.63-0.94); the specificity was 0.46 (95% CI 0.038-0.53). The positive likelihood-ratio (+LR) was 1.46 (95% CI 1.17-1.85).

conclusionsThe sputum colour of patients with acute cough and no underlying chronic lung disease does not imply therapeutic consequences such as prescription of antibiotics.

Indexed as

Acute DiseaseAdolescentAdultAnti-Bacterial AgentsBacterial InfectionsColorCoughCross-Sectional StudiesDecision MakingDrug PrescriptionsHumansRespiratory Tract InfectionsSensitivity and SpecificitySputumYoung AdultAnti-Bacterial Agents

Identifiers

PMID19242860
PMCPMC3410464
OpenAlexW2032644787

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.