Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34386152›Full record

ArticleThe World Allergy Organization journal2021

Efficacy of non-sedating H1-receptor antihistamines in adults and adolescents with chronic cough: A systematic review.

Ji-Hyang Lee, Ji Won Lee, Jin An, Ha-Kyeong Won, So-Young Park, Ji-Ho Lee, Sung-Yoon Kang, Yoshihiro Kanemitsu, Hyun Jung Kim, Woo-Jung Song

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The World Allergy Organization journal, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
1.9field-weighted citation impact, top 13% 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

8 citing papers in PubMed, 18 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Treatment of bronchial asthma - A simplified overview.Lung India : official organ of Indian Chest Society · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. WAO - ARIA consensus on chronic cough: Executive summary.The World Allergy Organization journal · 2025
    Review
  5. Article
  6. Observational
  7. Article
  8. Cough hypersensitivity and chronic cough.Nature reviews. Disease primers · 2022
    Review
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

10 authors at 7 institutions in 2 countries.

Ji-Hyang LeeDepartment of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Airway Sensation and Cough Research Laboratory, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
Ji Won LeeDepartment of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Asan Institute for Life Sciences, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea.
Jin AnDepartment of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea.
Ha-Kyeong WonDepartment of Internal Medicine, Veterans Health Service Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea.
So-Young ParkDivision of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
Ji-Ho LeeDepartment of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, South Korea.
Sung-Yoon KangDepartment of Internal Medicine, Gachon University Gil Medical Center, Incheon, South Korea.
Yoshihiro KanemitsuDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Aichi, Japan.
Hyun Jung KimDepartment of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea.
Woo-Jung SongDepartment of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Airway Sensation and Cough Research Laboratory, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
Ulsan College · KRGachon University Gil Medical Center · KRGangdong University · KRKonkuk University · KRKorea University · KRNagoya City University · JPVeterans Health Service Medical Center · KR

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundNasal symptoms frequently coexist in patients with chronic cough, and non-sedating H1-receptor antihistamines (nsH1RAs) are often prescribed for cough management in several countries. However, recommendations on the use of nsH1RAs vary among chronic cough guidelines. This study aimed to examine the efficacy of nsH1RAs over placebos in adolescents or adults with chronic cough or allergic respiratory conditions that may present as chronic cough.

methodsElectronic databases were searched for studies published until November 2020. Randomized placebo-controlled trials of nsH1RAs reporting cough endpoints in adolescents or adults with chronic cough or cough-associated allergic respiratory conditions (allergic rhinitis, allergic asthma, or atopic cough) were included.

resultsA total of 10 placebo-controlled trials were identified. Three studies (one study each involving allergic rhinitis, allergic rhinitis with comorbid asthma, and atopic cough) described baseline and post-treatment cough scores, and all reported significant improvements in subjective cough scores; however, the magnitude of improvement was greater in the 2 studies of patients with atopic cough (relative improvement in cough frequency score: -36.6 ± 8.4%) or seasonal allergic rhinitis-associated cough (cough frequency score: -44.0 ± 7.3% and cough intensity score: -65.7 ± 8.3%) than in the 1 study of allergic rhinitis patients with comorbid asthma (-4.0 ± 1.3%). Meanwhile, the other 7 trials found conflicting results but lacked information on the baseline cough score and did not use validated cough measurement tools; thus, their clinical relevance could not be determined.

conclusionDespite the widespread use of nsH1RAs in patients with chronic cough, only a few clinical trials examining their benefits on cough outcomes have been conducted. There may be a subgroup of patients, particularly those with seasonal allergic rhinitis-associated cough or atopic cough, whose cough may improve with nsH1RA treatment. However, adequately powered trials with validated cough measurement tools are warranted to confirm the role of nsH1RAs in the management of patients with allergic phenotypes of chronic cough.

Indexed as

Allergic rhinitisAsthmaAtopic coughChronic coughNon-sedating H1-receptor antihistamine

Identifiers

PMID34386152
PMCPMC8322120
OpenAlexW3185516238

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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.