Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26251722›Full record

ArticleMultidisciplinary respiratory medicine2015

Does additional antimicrobial treatment have a better effect on URTI cough resolution than homeopathic symptomatic therapy alone? A real-life preliminary observational study in a pediatric population.

Alessandro Zanasi, Salvatore Cazzato, Massimiliano Mazzolini, Carla Maria Sofia Ierna, Marianna Mastroroberto, Elena Nardi, Antonio Maria Morselli-Labate

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Multidisciplinary respiratory medicine, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.2field-weighted citation impact, top 19% 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

4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 14 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Antibiotics for prolonged wet cough in children.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018
    Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Survey on attitudes of Italian pediatricians toward cough.ClinicoEconomics and outcomes research : CEOR · 2017
    Article
  4. 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

7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Alessandro ZanasiItalian Association for Cough Study (AIST), Via Mazzini, 12, 40138 Bologna, Italy.
Salvatore CazzatoDepartment of Pediatrics, Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
Massimiliano MazzoliniRespiratory Medicine and Intensive Care Unit, Sant'Orsola Malpighi Hospital, Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
Carla Maria Sofia IernaRespiratory Medicine and Intensive Care Unit, Sant'Orsola Malpighi Hospital, Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
Marianna MastrorobertoDepartment of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
Elena NardiDepartment of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
Antonio Maria Morselli-LabateDepartment of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
University of Bologna · ITItalian Association for Cancer Research · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe effectiveness of a homeopathic syrup on cough has been demonstrated in an adult population in a previous double-blind randomized study. The present prospective observational study investigated children affected by wet acute cough caused by non-complicated URTIs, comparing those who received the homeopathic syrup versus those treated with the homeopathic syrup plus antibiotic.

objectivesThe aims were: 1) to assess whether the addition of antibiotics to a symptomatic treatment had a role in reducing the severity and duration of acute cough in a pediatric population, as well as in improving cough resolution; 2) to verify the safety of the two treatments.

methodsEighty-five children were enrolled in an open study: 46 children received homeopathic syrup alone for 10 days and 39 children received homeopathic syrup for 10 days plus oral antibiotic treatment (amoxicillin/clavulanate, clarithromycin, and erythromycin) for 7 days. To assess cough severity we used a subjective verbal category-descriptive (VCD) scale.

resultsCough VCD score was significantly (P < 0.001) reduced in both groups starting from the second day of treatment (-0.52 ± 0.66 in the homeopathic syrup group and -0.56 ± 0.55 in children receiving homeopathic syrup plus oral antibiotic treatment). No significant differences in cough severity or resolution were found between the two groups of children in any of the 28 days of the study. After the first week (day 8) cough was completely resolved in more than one-half of patients in both groups. Two children (4.3 %) reported adverse effects in the group treated with the homeopathic syrup alone, versus 9 children (23.1 %) in the group treated with the homeopathic syrup plus antibiotics (P = 0.020).

conclusionsOur data confirm that the homeopathic treatment in question has potential benefits for cough in children as well, and highlight the strong safety profile of this treatment. Additional antibiotic prescription was not associated with a greater cough reduction, and presented more adverse events than the homeopathic syrup alone.

Indexed as

Anti-bacterial agentsAntitussive agentsCoughHomeopathyRespiratory tract infections

Identifiers

PMID26251722
PMCPMC4527103
OpenAlexW2134259885

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.