Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Antibiotics for acute bronchitis.

J Smucny1, T Fahey, L Becker

  • 1Lafayette Family Medicine Residency, 2394 Route 11, Lafayette, USA, NY 13084. smucnyj@vax.cs.hscsyr.edu

The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
|October 18, 2000
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

A fasting-mimicking diet in patients with mild-to-moderate Crohn's disease: a randomized controlled trial.

Nature medicine·2026
Same author

Comparing post-operative outcomes of patients with intracapsular neck of femur fractures treated with hip hemiarthroplasty versus total hip arthroplasty.

Irish medical journal·2025
Same author

Maternal immune activation alters infant attentional processing in a nonhuman primate model.

Brain, behavior, & immunity - health·2025
Same author

Objective and subjective assessment of back shape and function in persons with and without low back pain.

Scientific reports·2025
Same author

Freiburg Neuropathology Case Conference : Posterior fossa tumour 15 years after microsurgical resection of a cerebellar pilocytic astrocytoma.

Clinical neuroradiology·2024
Same author

Different Glymphatic Kinetics in Spontaneous Intracranial Hypotension.

AJNR. American journal of neuroradiology·2024
Same journal

Mechanical thromboprophylaxis for preventing intradialytic hypotension in people undergoing maintenance haemodialysis.

The Cochrane database of systematic reviews·2026
Same journal

Prognostic models for predicting intensive care unit admission or mortality in critically ill adults not yet been admitted to the intensive care unit.

The Cochrane database of systematic reviews·2026
Same journal

Views and experiences of weight management for people living with mobility‑limiting conditions, intellectual disabilities or severe mental illness: a qualitative evidence synthesis.

The Cochrane database of systematic reviews·2026
Same journal

Non-pharmacological interventions for anxiety and depression in Parkinson's disease.

The Cochrane database of systematic reviews·2026
Same journal

Biologic drugs for induction and maintenance of remission in Crohn's disease: a network meta-analysis.

The Cochrane database of systematic reviews·2026
Same journal

Preconception and first-trimester metformin for improving pregnancy outcomes in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

The Cochrane database of systematic reviews·2026
See all related articles

Antibiotic treatment for acute bronchitis offers modest benefits, reducing cough and illness duration. However, these advantages are comparable to the risks of adverse effects, with no clear benefit for common cold symptoms within the first week.

Area of Science:

  • Medical research
  • Clinical trials
  • Evidence-based medicine

Background:

  • Antibiotic use for acute bronchitis is common but controversial in primary care.
  • Expert recommendations often advise against antibiotic prescription for this condition.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the efficacy and safety of antibiotic treatment for acute bronchitis.
  • To assess the impact of antibiotics on patient outcomes and adverse events.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic review of randomized controlled trials comparing antibiotics to placebo.
  • Searches conducted across multiple databases up to 2000, with author and manufacturer contact.
  • Data extraction and quality assessment performed by at least two reviewers.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Nine trials with over 750 patients showed antibiotics modestly reduced cough, physician-assessed illness, and abnormal lung findings.
  • Shorter durations of cough, productive cough, and feeling ill were observed with antibiotic use.
  • Antibiotic recipients reported more adverse effects, including nausea, vomiting, and rash.

Conclusions:

  • Antibiotics provide a modest benefit for acute bronchitis, but this is offset by potential adverse effects.
  • Patients with common cold symptoms for less than a week are unlikely to benefit from antibiotics.