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Intranasal ipratropium bromide for the common cold.
Zaina H AlBalawi1, Sahar S Othman, Khalid Alfaleh
1Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. Zaina.albalawi@ualberta.ca.
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
|June 21, 2013
Summary
Intranasal ipratropium bromide (IB) effectively reduces runny nose in common cold patients, but does not improve nasal congestion. While side effects like nasal dryness occurred more frequently with IB, they were generally mild and temporary.
Area of Science:
- Medical Research
- Pharmacology
- Clinical Trials
Background:
- The common cold is a prevalent illness with significant economic impact.
- Current treatments focus on symptomatic relief as no cure exists.
- Intranasal ipratropium bromide (IB) is being investigated for its efficacy in managing cold symptoms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of intranasal ipratropium bromide (IB) compared to placebo or no treatment.
- Primary outcomes included severity of rhinorrhoea and nasal congestion.
- Secondary outcomes assessed overall improvement and adverse effects.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
- Searched multiple databases including CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, AMED, Biosis, and LILACS.
- Data extraction and quality assessment were performed independently by two reviewers.
Main Results:
- Seven RCTs with 2144 participants were included.
- IB significantly reduced rhinorrhoea severity compared to placebo.
- No significant effect on nasal congestion was observed; however, side effects were more frequent in the IB group.
Conclusions:
- Intranasal ipratropium bromide (IB) shows potential for alleviating runny nose in common colds.
- IB does not improve nasal congestion and is associated with increased, though generally well-tolerated, side effects.
- Further high-quality trials are needed to confirm IB's effectiveness and safety profile.
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