TABLE 4.
Usage of concomitant medication
| Concomitant medication | Probiotic, n (%) | Placebo, n (%) | P |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subjects using concomitant medication | 266 (59.4) | 294 (65.3) | 0.07 |
| Type of medication used | |||
| Analgesics | 118 (26.3) | 144 (32.0) | 0.07 |
| Sex hormones and modulators of the genital system | 85 (19.0) | 97 (21.6) | 0.36 |
| Nasal preparations | 41 (9.2) | 49 (10.9) | 0.44 |
| Anti-inflammatory and antirheumatic products | 42 (9.4) | 46 (10.2) | 0.74 |
| Thyroid therapy | 30 (6.7) | 44 (9.8) | 0.11 |
| Agents acting on the renin-angiotensin system | 30 (6.7) | 35 (7.8) | 0.61 |
| Antibacterials for systemic use | 21 (4.7) | 24 (5.3) | 0.76 |
| Cough and cold preparations | 26 (5.8) | 19 (4.2) | 0.29 |
Medication use during the intervention period of 12 weeks for the total length of the study (all three seasons 2013–2016), in the intent-to-treat population (including all subjects, irrespective of having reported a cold or not). Results show number and frequency of participants with self-reported usage of concomitant medication in each study group, n (%). Only medications with a usage frequency of at least 5% in the total study population (both study groups) were included in the analysis. There were n = 448 randomized subjects in the probiotic group and n = 450 in the placebo group. Fisher´s exact test was used for the comparison between the study groups.