Trial reportBMJ (Clinical research ed.)2013
Efficacy of anti-inflammatory or antibiotic treatment in patients with non-complicated acute bronchitis and discoloured sputum: randomised placebo controlled trial.
Trial report in BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 5 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
21 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 57 citations in OpenAlex.
- Point-of-care biomarkers or laboratory-based tests to reduce antibiotic prescribing for COPD exacerbations: a literature review and meta-analysis in primary care.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2026Pooled it
- Predisposing factors to acquisition of acute respiratory tract infections in the community: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC infectious diseases · 2021Pooled it
- Adverse effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in patients with viral respiratory infections: rapid systematic review.BMJ open · 2020Pooled it
- Acute Cough Due to Acute Bronchitis in Immunocompetent Adult Outpatients: CHEST Expert Panel Report.Chest · 2020Guideline
- Antibiotics for acute bronchitis.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2017Pooled it
- Risk factors for community-acquired respiratory infections in a non-pandemic context: Secondary analysis of the PRIMIT study.PloS one · 2022Trial
- Spicae aetheroleum in uncomplicated acute bronchitis: a double-blind, randomised clinical trial.Wiener medizinische Wochenschrift (1946) · 2019Trial
- Trial
- Advances in isoxazole chemistry and their role in drug discovery.RSC advances · 2025Review
- The treatment of mild upper respiratory tract infections - a position paper with recommendations for best practice.Drugs in context · 2023Review
- The potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global antimicrobial and biocide resistance: an AMR Insights global perspective.JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2021Review
- Article
- The Spectrum of Non-asthmatic Airway Diseases Contributing to Cough in the Adult.Current otorhinolaryngology reports · 2019Review
- HATRIC: a study ofPilot and feasibility studies · 2019Article
- Clinical Practice Guidelines for Diagnosis and Management of Cough-Chinese Thoracic Society (CTS) Asthma Consortium.Journal of thoracic disease · 2018Review
- Long-lasting cough in an adult German population: incidence, symptoms, and related pathogens.European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology · 2018Article
- Temporal relationship between antibiotic use and respiratory virus activities in the Republic of Korea: a time-series analysis.Antimicrobial resistance and infection control · 2018Article
- Microorganisms Causing Community-Acquired Acute Bronchitis: The Role of Bacterial Infection.PloS one · 2016Article
- Clinical and haematological predictors of antibiotic prescribing for acute cough in adults in Swiss practices--an observational study.BMC family practice · 2015Observational
- Novel approaches are needed to develop tomorrow's antibacterial therapies.American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine · 2015Review
Corrections and comments
- Commented on by[Not Available].2014
- Commented on by
Authors and funding
8 authors at 6 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo evaluate the efficacy of oral anti-inflammatory or antibiotic treatment compared with placebo in the resolution of cough in patients with uncomplicated acute bronchitis and discoloured sputum.
designMulticentre, parallel, single blinded placebo controlled, randomised clinical trial.
settingNine primary care centres in Spain.
participantsAdults aged 18 to 70 presenting symptoms associated with respiratory tract infection of less than one week's duration, with cough as the predominant symptom, the presence of discoloured sputum, and at least one other symptom of lower respiratory tract infection (dyspnoea, wheezing, chest discomfort, or chest pain).
interventionsPatients were randomised to receive either ibuprofen 600 mg three times daily, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid 500 mg/125 mg three times daily, or placebo three times daily for 10 days. The duration of symptoms was measured with a diary card.
main outcome measureNumber of days with frequent cough after the randomisation visit.
results416 participants were randomised (136 to ibuprofen, 137 to antibiotic, and 143 to placebo) and 390 returned their symptom diaries fully completed. The median number of days with frequent cough was slightly lower among patients assigned to ibuprofen (9 days, 95% confidence interval 8 to 10 days) compared with those receiving amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (11 days, 10 to 12 days) or placebo (11 days, 8 to 14 days), albeit without statistically significant differences. Neither amoxicillin-clavulanic acid nor ibuprofen increased the probability of cough resolution (hazard ratio 1.03, 95% confidence interval 0.78 to 1.35 and 1.23, 0.93 to 1.61, respectively) compared with placebo. Adverse events were observed in 27 patients, and were more common in the antibiotic arm (12%) than ibuprofen or placebo arms (5% and 3%, respectively; P<0.01).
conclusionNo significant differences were observed in the number of days with cough between patients with uncomplicated acute bronchitis and discoloured sputum treated with ibuprofen, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, or placebo.
trial registrationCurrent Controlled Trials ISRCTN07852892.
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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.