Cochrane Review Group

Acute Respiratory Infections

109 systematic reviews in Acute Respiratory Infections ask 1,080 questions. 12.2% have no studies to answer them, 15.6% rest on very low certainty evidence and 35.5% reach moderate or high certainty.

Reviews

109

Questions

1,080

current versions

No studies

12.2%

Moderate or high

35.5%

No studies 132 · 12.2%Ungraded 90 · 8.3%Very low 169 · 15.6%Low 306 · 28.3%Moderate 287 · 26.6%High 96 · 8.9%

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.

Search questions in Acute Respiratory Infections

Thinnest evidence

All no studies and very low questions

Question	Effect	Evidence	Status / GRADE
Zinc vs placebo Risk of serious adverse events, including those that may be complications of the common cold · adults and children with colds and/or upper respiratory infections Zinc for prevention and treatment of the common cold (2024) · Cochrane	no estimate extracted	NR	No studies
Zinc vs placebo Risk of adverse events, including those that may be due to zinc supplements Duration of · adults and children without colds Zinc for prevention and treatment of the common cold (2024) · Cochrane	no estimate extracted	7 studies · 1517 participants	Very low
Zinc vs placebo Risk of continuing colds at study end Duration of · adults and children with colds and/or upper respiratory infections Zinc for prevention and treatment of the common cold (2024) · Cochrane	no estimate extracted	5 studies · 357 participants	Very low
Zinc vs placebo Standardised mean global symptom severity Duration of · adults and children with colds and/or upper respiratory infections Zinc for prevention and treatment of the common cold (2024) · Cochrane	no estimate extracted	2 studies · 261 participants	Very low
Summary of findings table ‐ Vitamin A supplements vs placebo Adverse events · children up to the age of 7 at risk of upper respiratory tract infection Oral vitamin A supplements to prevent acute upper respiratory tract infections in children up to seven years… (2024) · Cochrane	no estimate extracted	1 study · 116 participants	Very low
Summary of findings table ‐ Vitamin A supplements vs placebo Severity of subjective symptoms (mean duration of acute URTI) · children up to the age of 7 at risk of upper respiratory tract infection Oral vitamin A supplements to prevent acute upper respiratory tract infections in children up to seven years… (2024) · Cochrane	no estimate extracted	2 studies · 290 participants	Very low
Summary of findings table ‐ Vitamin A supplements vs placebo Time to occurrence of acute URTI ‐ not reported · children up to the age of 7 at risk of upper respiratory tract infection Oral vitamin A supplements to prevent acute upper respiratory tract infections in children up to seven years… (2024) · Cochrane	no estimate extracted	NR	No studies
Summary of findings table ‐ Vitamin A supplements vs placebo Number of cases with complications ‐ not reported · children up to the age of 7 at risk of upper respiratory tract infection Oral vitamin A supplements to prevent acute upper respiratory tract infections in children up to seven years… (2024) · Cochrane	no estimate extracted	NR	No studies
Summary of findings table ‐ Vitamin A supplements vs placebo Rate of hospitalisation ‐ not reported · children up to the age of 7 at risk of upper respiratory tract infection Oral vitamin A supplements to prevent acute upper respiratory tract infections in children up to seven years… (2024) · Cochrane	no estimate extracted	NR	No studies
Any glucocorticoid vs placebo Change in croup score. · children with croup Glucocorticoids for croup in children (2023) · Cochrane	no estimate extracted	8 studies · 351 participants	Very low
Any glucocorticoid vs epinephrine Change in croup score. · children with croup Glucocorticoids for croup in children (2023) · Cochrane	no estimate extracted	2 studies · 130 participants	Very low
Any glucocorticoid vs epinephrine Change in croup score. · children with croup Glucocorticoids for croup in children (2023) · Cochrane	no estimate extracted	2 studies · 63 participants	Very low

Reviews 109

High‐flow nasal cannula therapy for infants with bronchiolitis

Armarego, M, Forde, H, et al. · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2024

Acute Respiratory Infections

Thinnest evidence

Reviews 109

High‐flow nasal cannula therapy for infants with bronchiolitis

Zinc for prevention and treatment of the common cold

Oral vitamin A supplements to prevent acute upper respiratory tract infections in children up to seven years of age

Antibiotics for acute otitis media in children

Glucocorticoids for croup in children

Different antibiotic treatments for group A streptococcal pharyngitis

Immediate versus delayed versus no antibiotics for respiratory infections

Chest physiotherapy for acute bronchiolitis in paediatric patients between 0 and 24 months old

Physical interventions to interrupt or reduce the spread of respiratory viruses

Nebulised hypertonic saline solution for acute bronchiolitis in infants

Vaccines for preventing herpes zoster in older adults

Immunoglobulin treatment for hospitalised infants and young children with respiratory syncytial virus infection

Paracetamol (acetaminophen) or non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs, alone or combined, for pain relief in acute otitis media in children

Vitamin D as an adjunct to antibiotics for the treatment of acute childhood pneumonia

Vaccines for the common cold

Positioning for acute respiratory distress in hospitalised infants and children

Oral antihistamine‐decongestant‐analgesic combinations for the common cold

Homeopathic medicinal products for preventing and treating acute respiratory tract infections in children

Chest physiotherapy for pneumonia in adults

Probiotics for preventing acute upper respiratory tract infections

Biomarkers as point‐of‐care tests to guide prescription of antibiotics in people with acute respiratory infections in primary care

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) for acute bronchiolitis in children

Topical antibiotic prophylaxis to reduce respiratory tract infections and mortality in adults receiving mechanical ventilation

Antibiotics for treatment of sore throat in children and adults

Vaccines for measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella in children