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
Current version onlyIntention‐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 |
Probiotics for preventing acute upper respiratory tract infections: primary outcomes
Population: adults, children and the elderly
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
The number of participants who experienced URTI episodes: at least 1 event | OR 0.53 [0.37, 0.76] | 7 studies · 1927 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias |
The number of participants who experienced URTI episodes: at least 3 events | OR 0.53 [0.36, 0.8] | 3 studies · 650 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias |
The risk ratio of episodes of acute URTI | Rate ratio 0.83 [0.66, 1.05] | 5 studies · 1608 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
The mean duration of an episode of URTIs | no estimate extracted | 3 studies · 831 participants | Low Downgraded: imprecision, inconsistency |
Probiotics for preventing acute upper respiratory tract infections: time off from childcare centre, school or work
Population: children
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Time off from childcare centre, school or work | OR 0.1 [0.02, 0.47] | 1 study · 80 participants | Very low |
Probiotics for preventing acute upper respiratory tract infections: prescribed antibiotics for acute URTIs
Population: children
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Prescribed antibiotics for acute URTIs | RR 0.65 [0.45, 0.94] | 4 studies · 1184 participants | Moderate |
Probiotics for preventing acute upper respiratory tract infections: side effects or adverse events
Population: adults or children
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Side effects or adverse events | OR 0.88 [0.65, 1.19] | 4 studies · 1234 participants | Low Downgraded: imprecision |