SynthesisAnnals of family medicine
Steroids as adjuvant therapy for acute pharyngitis in ambulatory patients: a systematic review.
Synthesis in Annals of family medicine. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 3 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
15 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 44 citations in OpenAlex.
- Corticosteroids as standalone or add-on treatment for sore throat.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2020Pooled it
- Corticosteroids for treatment of sore throat: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised trials.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2017Pooled it
- Efficacy of Ambroxol lozenges for pharyngitis: a meta-analysis.BMC family practice · 2014Pooled it
- Kikyo-to vs. Placebo on Sore Throat Associated with Acute Upper Respiratory Tract Infection: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Internal medicine (Tokyo, Japan) · 2019Trial
- Trial
- Article
- Review
- Ectoine lozenges in the treatment of acute viral pharyngitis: a prospective, active-controlled clinical study.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2019Article
- Corticosteroids for sore throat: a clinical practice guideline.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2017Article
- A Study to Determine if Addition of Palatal Petechiae to Centor Criteria Adds More Significance to Clinical Diagnosis of Acute Strep Pharyngitis in Children.Global pediatric health · 2016Article
- PURLs: corticosteroids for a sore throat?The Journal of family practice · 2013Article
- No evidence for the effectiveness of systemic corticosteroids in acute pharyngitis, community-acquired pneumonia and acute otitis media.European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology · 2013Review
- Environmental and non-infectious factors in the aetiology of pharyngitis (sore throat).Inflammation research : official journal of the European Histamine Research Society ... [et al.] · 2012Review
- Steroids as adjuvant treatment of sore throat in acute bacterial pharyngitis.Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien · 2012Article
- In this issue:race, place, and sex matter.Annals of family medicineArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeThis review summarizes the evidence regarding the efficacy of adjuvant steroids for pain reduction in acute pharyngitis.
methodsWe searched for randomized controlled trials, using MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, published between 1966 and December 2008. Two reviewers assessed the quality of each retrieved article and summarized the data.
resultsOur review found 8 relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with a total of 806 patients. There were 5 RCTs with adult patients and 3 with children. All RCTs found a statistically significant faster reduction of pain or complete pain relief from steroid use compared with placebo. The trials used different steroids (dexamethasone, betamethasone, prednisone), and most participants had received antibiotics at least initially. Analgesic medication, such as acetaminophen, was allowed in all studies, but this factor was not always controlled. No serious adverse side effects were reported.
conclusionsSteroids are effective in relieving pain in acute pharyngitis. Although no serious adverse effects were observed, the benefits have to be balanced with possible adverse drug effects. There are safe and effective over-the-counter medications to relieve throat pain. Most patients received concomitant antibiotics; however, reducing the prescription of antibiotics for generally benign upper respiratory tract infection is a public health goal. We therefore recommend further studies to establish both the safety of steroids without antibiotic coverage and the additional benefits of steroids when used with regular administration of over-the-counter analgesic medications.
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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.