Table 1.
Baseline characteristics.
| Overall | Usual care | Ipratropium bromide | Dextromethorphan | Honey | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | 194 | 47 | 53 | 45 | 49 |
| Sociodemographic and clinical data | |||||
| Age, in years, mean (SDb) | 52.8 (16.3) | 50.5 (17.8) | 56.1 (14.3) | 54.0 (17.6) | 50.5 (15.40 |
| Female gender, n (%) | 130 (67.0) | 30 (63.8) | 37 (69.8) | 31 (68.9) | 32 (65.3) |
| Weight, in kg, mean (SD) | 71.6 (14.3) | 70.8 (14.3) | 71.8 (16.5) | 70.6 (11.5) | 73.0 (14.3) |
| Height, in cm, mean (SD) | 163.5 (9.4) | 162.9 (9.5) | 163.3 (9.5) | 162.2 (9.1) | 165.5 (9.4) |
| Body mass index, in kg/m2, mean (SD) | 26.7 (4.5) | 26.6 (4.5) | 26.8 (4.8) | 26.8 (3.6) | 26.6 (4.9) |
| Smoking status, n (%) | 33 (17.0) | 6 (12.8) | 11 (20.8) | 9 (20.0) | 7 (14.3) |
| Peak flow, in L/min, mean (SD) | 356.4 (149.0) | 386.3 (164.5) | 321.0 (111.4) | 338.7 (164.7) | 381.4 (150.2) |
| Any episode of bronchitis in the previous year, n (%) | 106 (54.6) | 21 (44.7) | 33 (62.3) | 27 (60.0) | 25 (51.0) |
| Pneumococcal vaccine in the previous 5 years, n (%) | 28 (14.4) | 5 (10.6) | 10 (18.9) | 7 (15.6) | 6 (12.2) |
| Influenza vaccination in the previous year, n (%) | 48 (24.7) | 7 (14.9) | 19 (35.8) | 11 (24.4) | 11 (22.4) |
| Current disease | |||||
| Daytime cough | |||||
| Baseline score, median (IQRc) | 4.0 (4.0, 5.0) | 4.0 (4.0, 5.0) | 4.0 (4.0, 5.0) | 4.0 (4.0, 5.0) | 4.0 (3.0, 5.0) |
| Patients scoring ≥4, n (%) | 154 (79.0) | 37 (78.7) | 44 (83.0) | 38 (84.4) | 35 (71.4) |
| Nocturnal cough | |||||
| Baseline score, median (IQR) | 5.0 (3.25, 5.75) | 4.0 (4.0, 5.5) | 4.0 (4.0, 6.0) | 5.0 (4.0, 6.0) | 4.0 (3.0, 5.0) |
| Patients scoring ≥4, n (%) | 145 (74.4) | 36 (76.6) | 40 (75.5) | 36 (80.0) | 33 (67.3) |
| Days with cough, median (IQR) | 5 (3, 10) | 5 (3, 14) | 5 (3, 11) | 5 (4, 10) | 5 (3, 9) |
| >1 week of symptoms, n (%) | 67 (34.5) | 18 (38.3) | 18 (34.0) | 16 (35.6) | 15 (30.6) |
| Medication taken before inclusion | |||||
| Number of patients taking any medication, n (%) | 149 (75.6) | 40 (80.0) | 40 (75.5) | 31 (68.9) | 38 (77.6) |
| Paracetamol, n (%) | 83 (56.8) | 15 (40.5) | 27 (67.5) | 18 (58.1) | 23 (60.5) |
| Ibuprofen, n (%) | 40 (27.4) | 7 (18.9) | 15 (37.5) | 8 (25.8) | 10 (26.3) |
| Any antibiotic, n (%) | 11 (7.5) | 2 (5.4) | 4 (10.0) | 1 (3.2) | 4 (10.5) |
| Antitussive agents, n (%) | 34 (23.3) | 10 (27.0) | 7 (17.5) | 7 (22.6) | 10 (26.3) |
| Mucolytics or expectorants, n (%) | 39 (26.7) | 11 (29.7) | 10 (25.0) | 8 (25.8) | 10 (26.3) |
| Anticholinergic inhalers, n (%) | 4 (2.7) | 2 (5.4) | 0 (0.0) | 2 (6.5) | 0 (0.0) |
| Other inhalers, n (%) | 11 (7.5) | 2 (5.4) | 6 (15.0) | 2 (6.5) | 1 (2.6) |
| Nasal sprays, n (%) | 8 (5.5) | 1 (2.7) | 2 (5.0) | 2 (6.5) | 3 (7.9) |
| Homeopathy, n (%) | 3 (2.1) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (2.5) | 1 (3.2) | 1 (2.6) |
| Herbs or infusions, n (%) | 29 (19.9) | 10 (27.0) | 5 (12.5) | 4 (12.9) | 10 (26.3) |
| Honey, n (%) | 37 (25.3) | 13 (35.1) | 8 (20.0) | 6 (19.4) | 10 (26.3) |
| Other natural therapy, n (%) | 9 (6.2) | 3 (8.1) | 1 (2.5) | 2 (6.5) | 3 (7.9) |
| Other products, n (%) | 15 (10.3) | 4 (10.8) | 4 (10.0) | 2 (6.5) | 5 (13.2) |
| Recommendations given in the baseline visit | |||||
| Paracetamol, n (%) | 120 (61.9) | 31 (66.0) | 36 (67.9) | 25 (55.6) | 28 (57.1) |
| Ibuprofen, n (%) | 43 (22.2) | 11 (23.4) | 10 (18.9) | 10 (22.2) | 12 (24.5) |
| Antibiotic, n (%) | 14 (7.2) | 2 (4.3) | 6 (11.3) | 3 (6.7) | 3 (6.1) |
| Inhalers other than anticholinergics, n (%) | 26 (13.4) | 7 (14.9) | 7 (13.2) | 7 (15.6) | 5 (10.2) |
| Other drugs, n (%) | 7 (3.5) | 4 (8.4) | 0 (-) | 2 (4.4) | 1 (2.0) |
SD, standard deviation;
IQR, interquartile interval.