Cochrane · systematic review · CD009761
Interventions for preventing high altitude illness: Part 1. Commonly‐used classes of drugs
Nieto Estrada, VH, Molano Franco, D, Medina, RD, et al. · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2017 · Cochrane Library
Emergency and Critical CareAMSTAR 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
13
current version
GRADE rated
9
No studies
4
Included studies
NR
No studies 4 · 30.8%Ungraded 0 · 0%Very low 2 · 15.4%Low 4 · 30.8%Moderate 3 · 23.1%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
Acetazolamide compared with placebo for preventing high altitude illness
Population: people at risk of high altitude illness
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Incidence of acute mountain sickness (AMS)‐ Follow‐ up: From arrival to 24 hours later Acetazolamide vs placebo | RR 0.47 [0.39, 0.56] | 16 studies · 2301 participants | Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias |
Incidence of high altitude pulmonary oedema (HAPE)‐ Follow‐ up: From arrival to 24 hours later Acetazolamide vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 7 studies · 1138 participants | Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias |
Incidence of high altitude cerebral oedema (HACE)‐ Follow‐ up: From arrival to 24 hours later Acetazolamide vs placebo | RR 0.32 [0.01, 7.48] | 6 studies · 1126 participants | Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias |
Adverse events: Paresthesias‐ Follow‐ up: From arrival to 24 hours later Acetazolamide vs placebo | RR 5.53 [2.81, 10.88] | 5 studies · 789 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency |
Adverse events: side effects‐ Follow‐ up: From arrival to 24 hours later Acetazolamide vs placebo | RR 2.19 [1.36, 3.53] | 1 study · 400 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency |
Budesonide compared with placebo for preventing high altitude illness
Population: people at risk of high altitude illness
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Incidence of acute mountain sickness (AMS)‐ Follow‐ up: From arrival to 24 hours later Budesonide vs placebo | RR 0.37 [0.23, 0.61] | 2 studies · 132 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
Incidence of high altitude pulmonary oedema (HAPE)‐ not reported Budesonide vs placebo | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Incidence of high altitude cerebral oedema (HACE)‐ not reported Budesonide vs placebo | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Adverse events: Side effects‐ Follow‐ up: From arrival to 24 hours later Budesonide vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 40 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
Dexamethasone compared with placebo for preventing high altitude illness
Population: people at risk of high altitude illness
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Incidence of acute mountain sickness (AMS)‐ Follow‐ up: From arrival to 24 hours later Dexamethasone vs placebo | RR 0.6 [0.36, 1] | 4 studies · 176 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
Incidence of high altitude pulmonary oedema (HAPE)‐ not reported Dexamethasone vs placebo | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Incidence of high altitude cerebral oedema (HACE) ‐ not reported Dexamethasone vs placebo | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Adverse events: General‐ Follow‐ up: From arrival to 24 hours later Dexamethasone vs placebo | no estimate extracted | 1 study · 21 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |