Clinical significance of common cold treatment: professionals' opinions.
BACKGROUND
Little is known about professionals' knowledge and attitudes regarding the clinical significance of treatments for common cold (upper respiratory infection, presumed viral).


METHODS
We surveyed university-associated family physicians and published common cold researchers ("experts") regarding evidence-of-benefit and magnitude-of-benefit for 8 treatments: antihistamine, oral decongestant, nasal decongestant, nasal steroid, zinc lozenge, zinc nasal spray, vitamin C, and the herbal echinacea.


RESULTS
Responding family physicians (N = 89) and experts (N = 45) agreed that cold remedies do not reduce illness duration. There was substantial disagreement, however, regarding the evidence for severity reduction. Decongestants were rated most favorably. Alternative therapies (zinc, vitamin C, and echinacea) were rated approximately as favorably as the other conventional treatments (antihistamine, decongestant, nasal steroid). Published experts and family physicians responded similarly, as did men (N = 84) and women (N = 49). Older respondents (age > or = 45; N = 67) were less likely to rate treatments as justifiable than were their younger counterparts (P-values ranged from 0.001 to 0.078).


CONCLUSIONS
Family physicians and common cold experts tend to agree that available cold remedies offer limited benefit, with conventional and alternative therapies rated similarly. Substantive disagreements exist, however, regarding strength-of-evidence, and over whether current evidence justifies treatment. Older professionals appear more skeptical.
Barrett
Bruce
B
University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA. bruce.barrett@fammed.wisc.edu
Endrizzi
Sarah
S
Andreoli
Philip
P
Barlow
Shari
S
Zhang
Zhengjun
Z
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003139:Common Cold / Q000188:drug therapy*; D020900:Echinacea; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006634:Histamine H1 Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D014663:Nasal Decongestants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010821:Physicians, Family; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D013256:Steroids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D015032:Zinc / Q000627:therapeutic use
D006634:Histamine H1 Antagonists; D014663:Nasal Decongestants; D013256:Steroids; D015032:Zinc; D001205:Ascorbic Acid