Efficacy of Corticosteroids for Sore Throat Management in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials

Efficacy of Corticosteroids for Sore Throat Management in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials

Sore throat (acute pharyngitis) is among the most common complaints among adults and is a reason for seeking healthcare globally. Antibiotics are widely used among patients with infectious sore throat. Previous research has indicated that corticosteroids could offer an alternative symptomatic treatm...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) Vol. 16; no. 8; p. e67740
Main Authors: Alqahtani, Saad, Alsharidi, Tarfah Rashed I, Alelaiwi, Mohammed A, Albelowi, Lama M, Alserhani, Abdulaziz Saeed, Alhosan, Ziyad A, Alhazmi, Rema M, Alaithan, Mohammed A, Almutairi, Abdullah O, Alqahtani, Lama, Alhammad, Abdullah S, Aljahdali, Hotaf F, Althomali, Faten, Basalamah, Maryam A
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: United States Cureus Inc 25-08-2024
Cureus
Subjects:
Adults
Analgesics
Antibiotics
Bacterial infections
Clinical trials
Drug dosages
Emergency medical care
Family/General Practice
Infections
Meta-analysis
Otolaryngology
Pain
Pathogens
Primary care
Steroids
Systematic review
Tonsillitis
Viral infections
meta-analysis
sore throat
pharyngitis
clinical trials
corticosteroids
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Sore throat (acute pharyngitis) is among the most common complaints among adults and is a reason for seeking healthcare globally. Antibiotics are widely used among patients with infectious sore throat. Previous research has indicated that corticosteroids could offer an alternative symptomatic treatment for sore throats. To estimate the corticosteroid efficacy as an additional therapy for sore throat adult patients, the literature search included PubMed, Medline, OVID, Cochrane CENTRAL, and Scopus for articles published until July 1st, 2024. The outcomes included the onset of pain relief (average time), complete resolution of pain (average time), absolute reduction of pain at 24 and 48 hours, requirement of antibiotics, and adverse effects related to treatment. Standardized mean difference (SMD) and risk difference were used to report numerical and dichotomous results. Five studies were included. Among the five included studies, corticosteroids showed significant effectiveness in resolving pain at 24 hours (average risk difference: 0.2200, 95% CI: 0.0500 to 0.3899, p = 0.0112) but with notable heterogeneity (I² = 82.4255%). At 48 hours, the benefit was not statistically significant (average risk difference: 0.4063, 95% CI: -0.1857 to 0.9984, p = 0.1786, I² = 98.9219%). Corticosteroids also decreased the average time to onset of pain relief (average SMD: -0.6590, 95% CI: -1.2857 to -0.0323, p = 0.0393, I² = 89.7914%), although with high heterogeneity. Other findings indicated a possible reduction in antibiotic use and fewer days missed from work. Adverse effects were minimal and occurred at similar rates in both corticosteroid and placebo arms. Corticosteroids can decrease pain intensity and duration in adults with acute sore throats. However, significant heterogeneity among studies and methodological limitations render the overall evidence inconclusive. While some studies noted reduced antibiotic use and lower symptom recurrence, high-quality RCTs are needed to address these limitations and provide more definitive guidelines for corticosteroid use in treating acute pharyngitis.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
ObjectType-Review-3
content type line 23
ISSN:2168-8184
2168-8184
DOI:10.7759/cureus.67740