Table 10.

Summary of Findings for PICO Question 7^a

Maintenance therapy compared to placebo for EoE
Outcomes and follow-up	No. of participants (studies)49	Certainty of the evidence (GRADE)	Relative effect, RR (95% CI)	Anticipated absolute effects
				Risk with placebo	Risk difference with maintenance Therapy
Not achieving histologic remission (eos <20/hpf) (histologic remission) assessed with: eos <20/hpf, follow-up: mean 50 wk	28 (1 RCT)b	⊕◯◯◯ VERY LOWc,d	0.70 (0.38 to 1.30)	714 per 1000	214 fewer per 1000 (443 fewer to 214 more)

^aThe risk in the intervention group (and its 95% CI) is based on the assumed risk in the comparison group and the relative effect of the intervention (and its 95% CI).

^bTo be eligible had to be in remission <5 eos/hpf on high-dose budesonide 2 mg/d and low symptom score (<2 on their scale); budesonide given via TIA nebulizer (does not exist in United States) at dose 0.5 mg (low); partial remission <20 rather than <15 eos/hpf, which is used for most other intervention outcomes; not all patients completed 50 wk—if clinical symptoms and relapse confirmed they stopped (9 completed 50 wk in budesonide group and 5 in placebo) (Straumann et al⁴⁹).

^cUsed low dose of budesonide delivered through a device not available in the United States.

^dVery low information size and CI crosses 1.