Is honey an effective treatment for acute cough in children?

Medwave. 2016 May 30:16 Suppl 2:e6454. doi: 10.5867/medwave.2016.6454.
[Article in English, Spanish]

Abstract

Cough represents one of the most common reasons for pediatrician consultations. There are many available treatments for symptomatic relief, including honey. Despite its wide availability, there is little knowledge about its benefits. Searching in Epistemonikos database, which is maintained by screening 30 databases, we identified three systematic reviews including three randomized trials. We combined the evidence using meta-analysis and generated a summary of findings table following the GRADE approach. We concluded the use of honey probably decreases the severity and frequency of cough, improves the quality of parent's and patient's sleep, and does not have side effects.

La tos es un motivo de consulta frecuente en la población pediátrica. Existen variados tratamientos para su alivio sintomático, dentro de los cuales se encuentra la miel. A pesar de su amplia disponibilidad, existe escaso conocimiento sobre sus reales beneficios. Utilizando la base de datos Epistemonikos, la cual es mantenida mediante búsquedas en 30 bases de datos, identificamos tres revisiones sistemáticas que en conjunto incluyen tres estudios aleatorizados pertinentes. Realizamos un metanálisis y tablas de resumen de los resultados utilizando el método GRADE. Concluimos que el uso de miel probablemente disminuye la severidad y frecuencia de la tos, así como mejora la calidad del sueño de pacientes y cuidadores, y no se asocia a efectos adversos.

Publication types

  • Meta-Analysis
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Acute Disease
  • Antitussive Agents / administration & dosage*
  • Child
  • Cough / pathology
  • Cough / therapy*
  • Honey*
  • Humans
  • Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Antitussive Agents