SynthesisBMJ (Clinical research ed.)2013
Duration of symptoms of respiratory tract infections in children: systematic review.
Synthesis in BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 105 papers, 7 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
105 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 302 citations in OpenAlex.
- Antibiotic treatment of acute and recurrent otitis media in children: an Italian intersociety Consensus.Italian journal of pediatrics · 2025Guideline
- Oral vitamin A supplements to prevent acute upper respiratory tract infections in children up to seven years of age.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2024Pooled it
- Predicting poor outcomes in children aged 1-12 with respiratory tract infections: A systematic review.PloS one · 2021Pooled it
- Health Equity in the Effectiveness of Web-Based Health Interventions for the Self-Care of People With Chronic Health Conditions: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2020Pooled it
- Systematic review of clinical prediction models to support the diagnosis of asthma in primary care.NPJ primary care respiratory medicine · 2019Pooled it
- Probiotics for respiratory tract infections in children attending day care centers-a systematic review.European journal of pediatrics · 2018Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Probiotics and Fever Duration in Children With Upper Respiratory Tract Infections: A Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA network open · 2025Trial
- A multifaceted intervention to reduce antibiotic prescribing among CHIldren with acute COugh and respiratory tract infection: the CHICO cluster RCT.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2023Trial
- Nasal Suctioning Therapy Among Infants With Bronchiolitis Discharged Home From the Emergency Department: A Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA network open · 2023Trial
- Trial
- Antibiotics for lower respiratory tract infection in children presenting in primary care in England (ARTIC PC): a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial.Lancet (London, England) · 2021Trial
- Efficacy and Safety of Ergoferon in Children from 6 Months to 6 Years Old with Acute Respiratory Viral Infections in Contemporary Outpatient Practice: A Multicenter, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Randomized Trial.Canadian respiratory journal · 2021Trial
- Time course of nocturnal cough and wheezing in children with acute bronchitis monitored by lung sound analysis.European journal of pediatrics · 2019Trial
- Trial
- Trial
- Trial
- Use of honey associated with Ananas comosus (Bromelin) in the treatment of acute irritative cough.Revista paulista de pediatria : orgao oficial da Sociedade de Pediatria de Sao Paulo · 2016Trial
- Trial
- Oxygen saturation targets in infants with bronchiolitis (BIDS): a double-blind, randomised, equivalence trial.Lancet (London, England) · 2015Trial
45 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
- Commented on by
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
7 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo determine the expected duration of symptoms of common respiratory tract infections in children in primary and emergency care.
designSystematic review of existing literature to determine durations of symptoms of earache, sore throat, cough (including acute cough, bronchiolitis, and croup), and common cold in children. DATA SOURCES: PubMed, DARE, and CINAHL (all to July 2012). ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES: Randomised controlled trials or observational studies of children with acute respiratory tract infections in primary care or emergency settings in high income countries who received either a control treatment or a placebo or over-the-counter treatment. Study quality was assessed with the Cochrane risk of bias framework for randomised controlled trials, and the critical appraisal skills programme framework for observational studies.
main outcome measuresIndividual study data and, when possible, pooled daily mean proportions and 95% confidence intervals for symptom duration. Symptom duration (in days) at which each symptom had resolved in 50% and 90% of children.
resultsOf 22,182 identified references, 23 trials and 25 observational studies met inclusion criteria. Study populations varied in age and duration of symptoms before study onset. In 90% of children, earache was resolved by seven to eight days, sore throat between two and seven days, croup by two days, bronchiolitis by 21 days, acute cough by 25 days, common cold by 15 days, and non-specific respiratory tract infections symptoms by 16 days.
conclusionsThe durations of earache and common colds are considerably longer than current guidance given to parents in the United Kingdom and the United States; for other symptoms such as sore throat, acute cough, bronchiolitis, and croup the current guidance is consistent with our findings. Updating current guidelines with new evidence will help support parents and clinicians in evidence based decision making for children with respiratory tract infections.
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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.