Bronchitis (acute).
BACKGROUND
Acute bronchitis, with transient inflammation of the trachea and major bronchi, affects over 40/1000 adults a year in the UK. The causes are usually considered to be infective, but only around half of people have identifiable pathogens. The role of smoking or of environmental tobacco smoke inhalation in predisposing to acute bronchitis is unclear. A third of people may have longer-term symptoms or recurrence.


METHODS
We conducted a systematic review and aimed to answer the following clinical question: What are the effects of treatments for acute bronchitis in people without chronic respiratory disease? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and other important databases up to September 2007 (BMJ Clinical Evidence reviews are updated periodically; please check our website for the most up-to-date version of this review). We included harms alerts from relevant organisations such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).


RESULTS
We found 19 systematic reviews, RCTs, or observational studies that met our inclusion criteria. We performed a GRADE evaluation of the quality of evidence for interventions.


CONCLUSIONS
In this systematic review we present information relating to the effectiveness and safety of the following interventions: antibiotics (amoxicillin [with or without clavulanic acid], cephalosporins, or macrolides), antihistamines, antitussives, beta(2) agonists (inhaled or oral), cephalosporins, expectorants, and analgesics.
Wark
Peter
P
Centre for Asthma and Respiratory Disease, Hunter Medical Research Institute, University of Newcastle, New Lambton, Australia.
D000208:Acute Disease; D000284:Administration, Oral; D000658:Amoxicillin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000996:Antitussive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001991:Bronchitis / Q000188:drug therapy; D002511:Cephalosporins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000996:Antitussive Agents; D002511:Cephalosporins; D000658:Amoxicillin