是成人病患的話，給他看下面這一長串來自Cochrane Database的文章
是兒童病患的話，可以找到一堆藥水是antihistamine + decongestant
Antihistamines for the common cold
An IM De Sutter1, Marc Lemiengre1, Harry Campbell2
1Department ofGeneral Practice and PrimaryHealth Care,GhentUniversity,Ghent, Belgium. 2Department of PublicHealth Sciences,
University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
Contact address: An IM De Sutter, Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care, Ghent University, 1K3, De Pintelaan
185, Ghent, 9000, Belgium.
an.desutter@UGent.be. (Editorial group: Cochrane Acute Respiratory Infections Group.)
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Issue 1, 2009 (Status in this issue: Edited)
Copyright © 2009 The Cochrane Collaboration. Published by JohnWiley & Sons, Ltd.
DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD001267
This version first published online: 21 July 2003 in Issue 3, 2003. Re-published online with edits: 21 January 2009 in Issue 1, 2009.
Last assessed as up-to-date: 27 May 2003. (Help document - Dates and Statuses explained)
This record should be cited as: De Sutter AIM, LemiengreM, Campbell H. Antihistamines for the common cold. Cochrane Database
of Systematic Reviews 2003, Issue 3. Art. No.: CD001267. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD001267.
A B S T R A C T
Background
Although antihistamines are prescribed in large quantities for the common cold, there is little evidence as to whether these drugs are
effective.
Objectives
To assess in patients with a common cold the effects of antihistamines in alleviating nasal symptoms, or the shortening the duration of
illness.
Search strategy
We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library, 2002, issue 4), which contains
the Acute Respiratory Infections Group’s Specilaized Register;MEDLINE (1966 to February 2003); and EMBASE (1987 toDecember
2002).
Selection criteria
Randomised, placebo-controlled trials on treatment of common cold with antihistamines, used either singly or in combination, in
adults or children.
Data collection and analysis
Two review authors extracted data and trial authors were contacted for further data. Trials were subdivided into monotherapy and
combination therapy.Data on general recovery, nasal obstruction, rhinorrhea, sneezing, and side-effectswere extracted and summarized.
Main results
We included 32 papers describing 35 comparisons; 22 trials studied monotherapy, 13 trials a combination of antihistamines with other
medication. A total of 8930 people suffering from the common cold were included. There were large differences in study designs,
participants, interventions, and outcomes. There was no evidence of any clinically significant effect - in children or in adults - on general
recovery of antihistamines in monotherapy. First generation - but not non-sedating - antihistamines have a small effect on rhinorrhea
and sneezing. In trials with first generation antihistamines the incidence of side effects (especially sedation) is significantly higher with
active treatment.
Antihistamines for the common cold (Review) 1
Copyright © 2009 The Cochrane Collaboration. Published by JohnWiley & Sons, Ltd.
Two trials, studying a combination of antihistamines with decongestives in small children, both failed to show any effect. Of the 11
trials on older children and adults, the majority show an effect on general recovery and on nasal symptom severity.
Authors’ conclusions
Antihistamines in monotherapy - in children as well as in adults - do not alleviate to a clinical extent nasal congestion, rhinorrhoea and
sneezing, or subjective improvement of the common cold. First generation antihistamines also cause more side-effects than placebo, in
particular they increase sedation in cold sufferers.
Combinations of antihistamines with decongestives are not effective in small children.
In older children and adults most trials show a beneficial effect on general recovery as well as on nasal symptoms. However, it is not clear whether these effects are clinically significant.
