From the Research
Effectiveness of Prednisone for Treating Viral Cough
- The study 1 found that oral corticosteroids, such as prednisolone, do not reduce symptom duration or severity in adults with acute lower respiratory tract infection, suggesting that prednisone may not be effective for treating viral cough.
- A systematic review 2 of randomized controlled trials found insufficient evidence to recommend the routine use of inhaled corticosteroids for acute respiratory tract infection in adults, and no studies investigated the use of oral corticosteroids.
- However, studies 3 and 4 found that a diagnostic-therapeutic trial with prednisone can be useful in establishing a diagnosis of cough variant asthma and subsequently controlling cough with inhaled corticosteroids.
- A more recent study protocol 5 aims to evaluate the effectiveness of oral corticosteroids for post-infectious cough in adults, but the results are not yet available.
Key Findings
- Oral corticosteroids may not be effective for treating viral cough in adults without asthma 1.
- Inhaled corticosteroids may have some benefits for acute respiratory tract infection, but the evidence is mixed and limited 2.
- Prednisone can be useful in diagnosing and treating cough variant asthma 3, 4.
- Further research is needed to determine the effectiveness of oral corticosteroids for post-infectious cough in adults 5.