Reports from the field: Bronchiolitis commonly treated with ineffective medicines
Physicians commonly use a wide array of medications to treat bronchiolitis, a common lower-respiratory tract disease among infants and toddlers, but there is no compelling evidence to support these treatments, according to a new evidence report sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Common symptoms of the disease include runny nose, rapid or noisy breathing, wheezing, cough, and fever. The disease is typically treated with inhaled, oral, or intravenous corticosteroids, inhaled epinephrine, and neubulized bronchiodilators because they are inexpensive and generally considered to be safe.
Researchers found no evidence that these medications are effective and cautioned doctors to be cautious about using inhaled budesonide and alpha-2-inteferon because of adverse events found in previous research. Effectiveness of other treatment will not be known until clinical trials are conducted, the researcher says.
The researchers did find support for use of palivizumab as a preventive medicine to protect high-risk infants and children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia, a chronic lung disease, or those who were born prematurely and are younger than 6 months of age.
For more information, visit the web site www.ahrq.gov/clinic/epcsums/broncsum.htm.
Physicians commonly use a wide array of medications to treat bronchiolitis, a common lower-respiratory tract disease among infants and toddlers, but there is no compelling evidence to support these treatments, according to a new evidence report sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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