Update on Cochrane data on paediatric respiratory diseases.
BACKGROUND
Systematic reviews seek to describe and summarise the best evidence for a given intervention by pooling data from relevant quality clinical trials. The Cochrane Collaboration has fostered the development and dissemination of systematic reviews throughout the world. We have identified and summarised The Cochrane systematic reviews of relevance to the paediatric pulmonologist.


METHODS
We performed an expert search of the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews using a combination of medical subject headings and free text terms relating to paediatric respiratory disease.


RESULTS
The search identified 120 systematic reviews with interventions specific to children with some relevance to pulmonary disease, and 327 reviews with interventions relating to pulmonary disease in adults and children. After pragmatic exclusions, 81 reviews were sorted by disease and 59 of these are discussed in detail.


CONCLUSIONS
There are now many systematic reviews that make a positive contribution to paediatric pulmonology. The majority of reviews (69%) found evidence that either confirmed or refuted an accepted practice. The remaining reviews concluded that the evidence for an accepted practice is poor and sometimes wholly absent. Clinicians must be aware that lack of evidence of effect is not the same as evidence of lack of effect. Caution must be exercised before applying the conclusions of systematic reviews based upon adult data to childhood disease.
Semple
Malcolm G
MG
Institute of Child Health, University of Liverpool, Alder Hey, Eaton Road, L12 2AP, Liverpool, UK.
Smyth
Rosalind L
RL
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D016208:Databases, Factual; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy*