Cochrane · systematic review · CD001287
Mucolytic agents versus placebo for chronic bronchitis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Poole, P, Sathananthan, K, Fortescue, R · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2019 · Cochrane Library
SoF tableOnly the outcomes this review put in its Summary of Findings table are listed (the Cochrane Handbook caps them at about seven per comparison). Its other analyses are not shown here.
Questions
8
current version
GRADE rated
7
No studies
1
Included studies
NR
No studies 1 · 12.5%Ungraded 0 · 0%Very low 0 · 0%Low 0 · 0%Moderate 7 · 87.5%High 0 · 0%
Ungraded means an effect was reported without a GRADE rating; it is not a gap. No studies means the review found nothing to answer the question. The six categories are a display order, not a score.
Questions and results
Current version onlyMucolytic compared to placebo for chronic bronchitis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Population: chronic bronchitis or COPD
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Outcomes* Mucolytic vs placebo | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Participants with no exacerbations in study period Mucolytic vs placebo | Peto OR 1.73 [1.56, 1.91] | 28 studies · 6723 participants | Moderate Downgraded: inconsistency |
Days of disability per participant per month Mucolytic vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 9 studies · 2259 participants | Moderate Downgraded: inconsistency |
Health‐related quality of life (total score SGRQ) Scale from 1 to 100; lower scores indicate better quality of life Mucolytic vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 7 studies · 2721 participants | Moderate Downgraded: inconsistency |
Hospitalisation during study period Mucolytic vs placebo | Peto OR 0.68 [0.52, 0.89] | 5 studies · 1833 participants | Moderate Downgraded: inconsistency |
FEV₁at end of study Mucolytic vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 14 studies · 3473 participants | Moderate Downgraded: inconsistency |
Adverse effects Mucolytic vs placebo | Peto OR 0.84 [0.74, 0.94] | 24 studies · 7264 participants | Moderate Downgraded: inconsistency |
Death during study period Mucolytic vs placebo | Peto OR 0.98 [0.51, 1.87] | 11 studies · 3527 participants | Moderate Downgraded: imprecision, inconsistency, publication bias |
Mucolytic versus placebo for chronic bronchitis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Population: patients with chronic bronchitis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Participants with no exacerbations in study period Mucolytic vs placebo | OR 1.75 [1.57, 1.94] | 26 studies · 6233 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency |
Number of exacerbations per participant per month Mucolytic vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 28 studies · 7164 participants | Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias |
Health‐related quality of life (total score on SGRQ) Mucolytic vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 5 studies · 2231 participants | Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Hospitalisations Mucolytic vs placebo | OR 0.68 [0.52, 0.89] | 4 studies · 1788 participants | Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Adverse effects Mucolytic vs placebo | OR 0.88 [0.78, 1] | 21 studies · 6346 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency |
Death during study period Mucolytic vs placebo | OR 1.03 [0.52, 2.03] | 8 studies · 2931 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Mucolytic versus placebo for chronic bronchitis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Population: patients with chronic bronchitis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Patients with no exacerbations in study period Mucolytic vs placebo | OR 1.88 [1.68, 2.11] | 24 studies · 5149 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency, publication bias |
Adverse effects Mucolytic vs placebo | OR 0.83 [0.69, 1.01] | 18 studies · 5176 participants | Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias |
Death during study period Mucolytic vs placebo | OR 0.75 [0.35, 1.64] | 6 studies · 1821 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |