Cochrane · systematic review · CD006895
Probiotics for preventing acute upper respiratory tract infections
Zhao, Y, Dong, BR, Hao, Q · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2022 · 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
7
current version
GRADE rated
7
No studies
0
Included studies
NR
No studies 0 · 0%Ungraded 0 · 0%Very low 1 · 14.3%Low 4 · 57.1%Moderate 2 · 28.6%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
Show all 2 versionsIntention‐to‐treat analysis: probiotics compared to placebo or no treatment for preventing acute upper respiratory tract infections
Population: children, adults, and the elderly
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Number of participants who were diagnosed with acute URTIs: at least 1 event Intention‐to‐treat analysis: probiotics vs placebo or no treatment | RR 0.76 [0.67, 0.87] | 16 studies · 4798 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, publication bias |
Number of participants who were diagnosed with acute URTIs: at least 3 events Intention‐to‐treat analysis: probiotics vs placebo or no treatment | RR 0.59 [0.38, 0.91] | 4 studies · 763 participants | Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias |
Incidence rate of acute URTIs Intention‐to‐treat analysis: probiotics vs placebo or no treatment | Rate ratio 0.82 [0.73, 0.92] | 12 studies · 4364 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, publication bias |
Mean duration of an episode of acute URTIs Intention‐to‐treat analysis: probiotics vs placebo or no treatment | no estimate extracted | 6 studies · 2406 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency |
Number of participants who were absent from childcare centre, school, or work due to acute URTIs Intention‐to‐treat analysis: probiotics vs placebo or no treatment | RR 0.14 [0.03, 0.59] | 1 study · 80 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, indirectness |
Number of participants who used prescribed antibiotics for acute URTIs Intention‐to‐treat analysis: probiotics vs placebo or no treatment | RR 0.58 [0.42, 0.81] | 6 studies · 1548 participants | Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias |
Number of participants who experienced at least 1 side effect or adverse event Intention‐to‐treat analysis: probiotics vs placebo or no treatment | RR 1.02 [0.9, 1.15] | 8 studies · 2456 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |