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Related Experiment Videos

Antibiotics for the common cold.

B Arroll1, T Kenealy

  • 1General Practice, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand. b.arroll@auckland.ac.nz

The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
|July 26, 2002
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Antibiotics offer no significant benefit for the common cold and may increase adverse effects in adults. Routine antibiotic use for upper respiratory tract infections is not recommended due to insufficient evidence of efficacy.

Area of Science:

  • Evidence-based medicine
  • Infectious diseases
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Common cold is viral, antibiotics are generally not indicated.
  • Antibiotic prescription for colds persists, driven by perceived benefits for secondary infection prevention and patient demand.
  • Growing concern over antibiotic resistance necessitates evaluating their use in common respiratory infections.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess antibiotic efficacy versus placebo for acute upper respiratory tract infections (common colds).
  • To determine if antibiotics reduce general and nasopharyngeal symptoms.
  • To identify significant adverse outcomes associated with antibiotic therapy for common colds.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

Related Experiment Videos

  • Searched multiple databases (Cochrane, MEDLINE, EMBASE, etc.) up to May 2001.
  • Included RCTs comparing antibiotics with placebo for URTI with <7 days symptom duration.

    • Main Results:

    • Nine trials (2249 participants) showed no significant difference in cure rates or symptom persistence between antibiotics and placebo.
    • A small benefit for antibiotics was noted for clear runny nose and sore throat in some studies.
    • Adults receiving antibiotics experienced significantly more adverse effects; children did not show a significant increase.

    Conclusions:

    • Insufficient evidence supports routine antibiotic use for common colds in children or adults.
    • Significant adverse effects in adults outweigh any minimal benefits observed.
    • Prudent antibiotic stewardship is crucial to combat resistance and minimize harm.