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
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
Current version onlyCorticosteroids compared to placebo for sore throat
Population: patients with sore throat
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Complete resolution of pain at 24 hours Corticosteroids vs placebo | RR 2.4 [1.29, 4.47] | 5 studies · 851 participants | High |
Complete resolution of pain at 48 hours Corticosteroids vs placebo | RR 1.5 [1.27, 1.76] | 4 studies · 774 participants | High |
Mean time to onset of pain relief Corticosteroids vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 7 studies · 840 participants | Moderate |
Mean time to complete resolution of pain Corticosteroids vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 6 studies · 695 participants | Moderate Downgraded: imprecision, inconsistency |
Absolute reduction in pain measured by VAS Corticosteroids vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 7 studies · 1004 participants | Moderate Downgraded: inconsistency |
Adverse events Corticosteroids vs placebo | RR 1.08 [0.31, 3.77] | 2 studies · 690 participants | Moderate |
Recurrence/relapse rates Corticosteroids vs placebo | RR 0.52 [0.16, 1.73] | 3 studies · 353 participants | Moderate Downgraded: imprecision, inconsistency |
Days missed from work or school Corticosteroids vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 2 studies · 405 participants | Moderate Downgraded: imprecision |
Corticosteroids compared to placebo for sore throat
Population: patients with sore throat
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Complete resolution of sore throat pain at 24 hours Patient report Corticosteroids vs placebo | RR 3.16 [1.97, 5.08] | 4 studies · 286 participants | High |
Complete resolution of sore throat pain at 48 hours Patient report Corticosteroids vs placebo | RR 1.65 [1.32, 2.06] | 3 studies · 209 participants | Moderate |
Mean time to onset of pain relief in hours Patient report Corticosteroids vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 6 studies · 609 participants | Moderate Downgraded: inconsistency |
Mean time to complete resolution of sore throat pain Patient report Corticosteroids vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 5 studies · 500 participants | Moderate Downgraded: inconsistency |
Mean absolute reduction in sore throat pain at 24 hours Visual analogue scale or McGrath scale Corticosteroids vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 6 studies · 617 participants | High |
Recurrence/relapse of symptoms Patient report Corticosteroids vs placebo | RR 0.56 [0.24, 1.34] | 3 studies · 353 participants | Moderate |
Number of days missed from work or school Patient report Corticosteroids vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 92 participants | Moderate Downgraded: imprecision |