Evidence map›Paper›PMID 22883470›Full record

ArticleBMC ear, nose, and throat disorders2012

Incidence, causes, severity and treatment of throat discomfort: a four-region online questionnaire survey.

Dilys Addey, Adrian Shephard

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC ear, nose, and throat disorders, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
15citing papers in PubMed
1.3field-weighted citation impact, top 18% 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

15 citing papers in PubMed, 32 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Review
  3. The effects of greater frequency of two most prevalent bothersome acute respiratory symptoms on health-related quality of life in the 2020 US general population.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2023
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Point-of-Care Testing for Pharyngitis in the Pharmacy.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2020
    Article
  7. Lysozyme in the treatment of non-infectious sore throat.Bosnian journal of basic medical sciences · 2020
    Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Review
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Climate, vocal folds, and tonal languages: Connecting the physiological and geographic dots.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2015
    Article
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

2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Dilys AddeyAddey Associates, 21 Stanstead Avenue, Tollerton, Nottingham, NG12 4EA, UK. dilysaddey@aol.com.
Adrian Shephard
Reckitt Benckiser (United Kingdom) · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAcute sore throat is commonly associated with viral infections. Consumers typically rely on over-the-counter treatments and other remedies to treat symptoms; however, limited information is available regarding consumer perceptions of sore throat or treatment needs. The aim of this study was to investigate perceptions of throat discomfort and how these influence attitudes and consumer behaviour with regard to treatment.

methodsOnline consumer surveys were completed by participants invited by email between 2003 and 2004 in four markets: the UK, France, Poland, and Malaysia. The questionnaire consisted of 24 questions that covered key issues surrounding throat discomfort including incidence in the past 12 months, causes, severity, effects on functionality and quality of life, actions taken to relieve throat discomfort, the efficacy of these approaches and the reasons behind using specific products.

resultsIn total, 6465 men and women aged ≥18 years were surveyed, identifying 3514 participants who had suffered throat discomfort/irritation in the past 12 months (response rate of 54%). These participants completed the full survey. The breakdown of throat discomfort sufferers was: UK, 912; France, 899; Poland, 871; Malaysia, 832. A high proportion of respondents experienced one or more instances of throat discomfort in the previous 12 months, with an overall incidence of 54%. Infections including the common cold/influenza and other bacteria/viruses were commonly perceived causes of throat discomfort (72% and 46%, respectively). Physical and environmental factors were also perceived to be causative, including airborne pollution (28%), smoking (23%), and air conditioning (31%). Symptoms perceived to be caused by an infection were associated with a higher degree of suffering (mean degree of suffering for bacteria/virus and common cold/influenza; 3.4 and 3.0, respectively). Medicinal products were used for all perceived causes, but more commonly for sore throats thought to be caused by infections. Cold drinks were used more often for symptoms thought to be due to physical and environmental causes.

conclusionsNot all throat discomfort is the same, as demonstrated by the range of perceived causes and the emotional and physical symptoms experienced. Patient expectations regarding treatment of throat discomfort differs and treatments should be tailored by pharmacists to suit the cause.

Identifiers

PMID22883470
PMCPMC3489867
OpenAlexW2037016050

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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.