Scroll Up
Scroll Down
Play Play Play Play
Unregistered User
Click here if this is not your Personal Edition
 
Contact Us | Free E-Mail Updates | Journals | Register a colleague
 
 
Paediatrics
 
   
 
SEARCH   
Doctor's Guide Free CME
Medline
Congress Resource Centre
 

 EXPLORE :
   Most Read News
 All News  All News
 All Webcasts / CME  All Webcasts / CME
 All Cases  All Cases
 Congress Resource Centre  Congress Resource Centre
 All Medical Resources  All Medical Resources
 Medical  My Personal Edition



Warning | Privacy

 

 
 Recent news - Paediatrics
    Escitalopram Decreases Symptoms of Major Depressive Disorder in Adolescents: Presented at AACAP - (DGDispatch)
    Researchers Discover Mutations In Two Genes That Cause Early-Onset IBD - (DGNews)
    MRI Can Predict Outcome of Infants Deficient of Oxygen at Birth - (DGNews)
    Extended-Release Guanfacine Reduces Oppositional Symptoms for Children With ADHD: Presented at AACAP - (DGDispatch)
    Urinary Biomarkers Predictive of Paediatric Acute Kidney Injury in Emergency Setting: Presented at Renal Week 2009 - (DGDispatch)

    News archive

     Recent webcasts/CME - Paediatrics
      PreAnesthetic Assessment of the Child with A Cold or Asthma
      Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Classification Systems
      Genetic Prognostic Testing for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis
      Heart Failure in Children
      Initiation and Maintenance of HIV Treatment in Adolescents

      Webcasts/CME archive

       Recent cases - Paediatrics
        "Floating Arm" Injury in a Child with Fractures of the Proximal and Distal Parts of the Humerus: A Case Report
        A Long-Term Follow-Up of a Girl With Dilated Cardiomyopathy After Mitral Valve Replacement and Septal Anterior Ventricular Exclusion
        Abscess Formation of a Spherical-Shape Duplication in the Splenic Flexure of the Colon: Case Report and Review of the Literature
        Acute Myelogenous Leukemia Switch Lineage Upon Relapse to Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: A Case Report
        The Diagnostic Dilemma of a Multilocular Renal Cyst: A Case Report

        Cases archive
          




        my personal edition > paediatrics > news
        divider

          E-Mail this DGDispatch to a colleague

        DGDispatch


        Echinacea Fails to Treat Kids' Colds: Presented at PAS

        By Roberta Friedman, PhD

        SEATTLE, WA -- May 7, 2003 -- The herbal agent Echinacea was not able to cut the severity or duration of upper respiratory infections in children, according to data reported here May 4th at the 2003 Annual Meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies.

        "We cannot recommend Echinacea for upper respiratory infections in children at this time" due to the lack of effect in the large, randomised, controlled trial, said presenter James Taylor, MD, from the department of pediatrics, University of Washington in Seattle.

        A non-alcohol extract of the plant was tested against a matched placebo in 524 children. Three centers participated in the trial, including investigators at the National College of Naturopathic Medicine and Bastyr University in Kenmore, Washington.

        Investigators confirmed 759 colds and obtained 707 completed patient log books. Patients and parents reported daily symptoms on a 4-point Likert Scale. Times of medication and instances of fever were also recorded. Duration of symptoms also comprised part of the primary outcome of the trial.

        Of the 524 kids, 265 received placebo. Treatment was administered twice daily.

        Mean duration of symptoms for both groups was 9 days, and median symptom severity that did not differ between groups.

        Fever lasted 0.81 days for kids taking Echinacea and 0.64 days for placebo. The difference was not statistically significant (P=0.09).

        Rash was the only adverse effect evident, with a greater frequency among children taking Echinacea (7.1% vs. 2.7%, P=.008). "We thought vomiting or stomachache might be higher in the Echinacea treated" children instead, said Dr. Taylor. The nature of these rashes was not recorded, as they were not anticipated.

        Kids given Echinacea had fewer second and third colds following treatment as compared to those given the placebo, and "this deserves further study," Dr. Taylor said.

        Dr. Taylor said the twice-daily treatment frequency in the study was less than some preparations recommend. A limitation of the study is the fact that this is a plant extract, with possible species as well as regimen differences, Dr. Taylor noted.


        [Study title: The Efficacy and Safety of Echinacea in Treating Colds in Children. Abstract: 1158.]



        E-Mail this DGDispatch to a colleague   To print, use this version






        All contents Copyright (c) 1995-2009 Doctor's Guide Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.



        The NTK initiative. Physicians helping physicians identify Need-To-Know science
           Feedback
        Please rate this article: Strongly DISAGREE...Strongly AGREE NTK logo
        Question 1 - Physicians need to become aware of this information as soon as possible. Question 2 - This information is likely to have an impact on the way physicians practice medicine.
        1
        2
        3
        4
        5
        6
        7
        Send