Cochrane · systematic review · CD008268

Corticosteroids as standalone or add‐on treatment for sore throat

de Cassan, S, Thompson, MJ, Perera, R, et al. · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2020 · Cochrane Library

Acute Respiratory Infections2 versionsAMSTAR 2: not assessed
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
8
No studies
0
Included studies
NR
No studies 0 · 0%Ungraded 0 · 0%Very low 0 · 0%Low 0 · 0%Moderate 6 · 75%High 2 · 25%

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 versions

Corticosteroids compared to placebo for sore throat

Population: patients with sore throat
8 questions
OutcomeEffectEvidenceStatus / GRADE
Complete resolution of pain at 24 hours
Corticosteroids vs placebo
RR 2.4 [1.29, 4.47]5 studies · 851 participantsHigh
Complete resolution of pain at 48 hours
Corticosteroids vs placebo
RR 1.5 [1.27, 1.76]4 studies · 774 participantsHigh
Mean time to onset of pain relief
Corticosteroids vs placebo
no estimate extracted7 studies · 840 participantsModerate
Mean time to complete resolution of pain
Corticosteroids vs placebo
no estimate extracted6 studies · 695 participantsModerate
Downgraded: imprecision, inconsistency
Absolute reduction in pain measured by VAS
Corticosteroids vs placebo
no estimate extracted7 studies · 1004 participantsModerate
Downgraded: inconsistency
Adverse events
Corticosteroids vs placebo
RR 1.08 [0.31, 3.77]2 studies · 690 participantsModerate
Recurrence/relapse rates
Corticosteroids vs placebo
RR 0.52 [0.16, 1.73]3 studies · 353 participantsModerate
Downgraded: imprecision, inconsistency
Days missed from work or school
Corticosteroids vs placebo
no estimate extracted2 studies · 405 participantsModerate
Downgraded: imprecision