Condition

Upper respiratory infections

Clinical trials and treatment information for Upper respiratory infections

177.1M

People Affected

Active Trials

New Cases/Year

20K

Deaths/Year

Treatment Rankings

Ranked by evidence volume first. Medicine has spent centuries ranking things by vibes. This is an improvement.

Ibuprofen

80% Effectiveness• 95% Confidence• 75% Safety• 9 trials• 150K participants

HIGH EvidenceExcellent ValueDose: 200-400mg every 4-6 hours (max 1200mg/day OTC)

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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️

Meth💀

Cigarettes🚬

Chemo☢️

Alcohol🍺

Morphine💊

Antibiotics💉

Tylenol💊

Exercise🏃

Water💧

DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

30-60 minutes

Duration

As needed, 3-7 days for URI symptoms

Response Rate

90%

Remission Rate

Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

Number Needed to Harm (NNH)

1500

Common Side Effects:

Stomach upset/nausea: 10%

Heartburn: 5%

Headache: 3%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$10

Monitoring

$600

Side Effects

Total Annual

$610

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

QALYs Gained

0.008

Cost per Responder

$11.11

Treatment Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Body Temperature101.5 °F (38.6 °C)

-69% (-2.0 °F (-1.1 °C))

Overall Pain SeverityNumeric Rating Scale (NRS) score: 7/10

-42.9% (-3 points)

Total URI Symptom ScoreWisconsin Upper Respiratory Symptom Survey (WURSS-21) score: 45/105

-33.3% (-15 points)

Secondary Benefits

Sleep Quality IndexPittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score: 12/21

-33.3% (-4 points)

Interference with Daily ActivitiesActivity Interference Scale: 7/10

-42.9% (-3 points)

General Well-being ScoreWHO-5 Well-being Index: 50/100

+20% (+10 points)

Common Side Effects

Stomach upset/nausea

+10%

Heartburn

+5%

Headache

+3%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4

Pseudoephedrine

75% Effectiveness• 90% Confidence• 70% Safety• 24 trials• 25K participants

HIGH EvidenceExcellent ValueDose: 30-60mg every 4-6 hours (max 240mg/day)

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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️

Meth💀

Cigarettes🚬

Chemo☢️

Alcohol🍺

Morphine💊

Antibiotics💉

Tylenol💊

Exercise🏃

Water💧

DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

30-60 minutes

Duration

As needed, 3-7 days for URI symptoms

Response Rate

80%

Remission Rate

Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

Number Needed to Harm (NNH)

1200

Common Side Effects:

Insomnia: 15%

Nervousness/restlessness: 10%

Headache: 5%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$15

Monitoring

$600

Side Effects

Total Annual

$615

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

QALYs Gained

0.005

Cost per Responder

$18.75

Treatment Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Nasal Congestion Severity3.0 points (0-4 scale, 4=very severe)

-33.33% (-1.0 points)

Peak Nasal Inspiratory Flow (PNIF)70 L/min (impaired)

+21.43% (+15 L/min)

Total Nasal Symptom Score (e.g., congestion, rhinorrhea, sneezing)9 points (0-15 scale, 15=very severe)

-27.78% (-2.5 points)

Secondary Benefits

Sleep Quality (due to nasal symptoms)6 points (0-10 scale, 10=worst sleep)

-25% (-1.5 points)

Daily Activity Impairment Score7 points (0-10 scale, 10=complete impairment)

-25.71% (-1.8 points)

Duration of Moderate to Severe Nasal Congestion5 days

-20% (-1.0 day)

Common Side Effects

Insomnia

+15%

Nervousness/restlessness

+10%

Headache

+5%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4

Honey

70% Effectiveness• 80% Confidence• 90% Safety• 8 trials• 2.5K participants

MODERATE EvidenceExcellent ValueDose: 2.5-10mL as needed, up to 3-4 times daily

Find Trials

Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️

Meth💀

Cigarettes🚬

Chemo☢️

Alcohol🍺

Morphine💊

Antibiotics💉

Tylenol💊

Exercise🏃

Water💧

DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

15-30 minutes

Duration

As needed, 3-7 days for cough

Response Rate

75%

Remission Rate

Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

Common Side Effects:

Minor stomach upset: 0.5%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

Monitoring

$600

Side Effects

Total Annual

$605

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

QALYs Gained

0.004

Cost per Responder

$6.67

Treatment Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Nighttime Cough Frequency15 cough episodes per night

-35% (-5.25 cough episodes per night)

Nighttime Cough Severity4/7 on a 7-point Likert scale

-30% (-1.2 points on a 7-point Likert scale)

Child Sleep Quality4/7 on a 7-point Likert scale of sleep disturbance

-25% (-1 point on a 7-point Likert scale)

Overall Duration of URI Symptoms9 days

-15% (-1.35 days)

Secondary Benefits

Parental Sleep Quality3.5/7 on a 7-point Likert scale of sleep disturbance

-20% (-0.7 points on a 7-point Likert scale)

Incidence of Antibiotic Prescriptions20% of patients receiving antibiotics

-30% (-6 percentage points (e.g., from 20% to 14%))

Caregiver Global Assessment of Child's URI Symptoms3/5 on a 5-point Likert scale (0=no symptoms, 4=severe symptoms)

-25% (-0.75 points on a 5-point Likert scale)

Common Side Effects

Minor stomach upset

+0.5%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4

Dextromethorphan

65% Effectiveness• 75% Confidence• 75% Safety• 6 trials• 12K participants

MODERATE EvidenceExcellent ValueDose: 10-30mg every 4-8 hours (max 120mg/day)

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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️

Meth💀

Cigarettes🚬

Chemo☢️

Alcohol🍺

Morphine💊

Antibiotics💉

Tylenol💊

Exercise🏃

Water💧

DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

15-30 minutes

Duration

As needed, 3-7 days for cough

Response Rate

65%

Remission Rate

Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

Number Needed to Harm (NNH)

1500

Common Side Effects:

Drowsiness/dizziness: 8%

Nausea: 3%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$10

Monitoring

$600

Side Effects

Total Annual

$610

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

QALYs Gained

0.003

Cost per Responder

$15.38

Treatment Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Cough Severity Score4.5 points (0-6 scale)

-25% (-1.1 points)

Cough Frequency10 coughs/hour

-30% (-3 coughs/hour)

Nighttime Cough Interference Score6 points (0-10 scale)

-20% (-1.2 points)

Secondary Benefits

Overall URI Symptom Score (WURSS-21)60 points (0-100 scale)

-12% (-7.2 points)

Sleep Disturbance Score (due to URI)7 points (0-10 scale, 10=maximum disturbance)

-15% (-1.05 points)

Common Side Effects

Drowsiness/dizziness

+8%

Nausea

+3%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4

Saline Nasal Irrigation

60% Effectiveness• 85% Confidence• 95% Safety• 11 trials• 5.5K participants

MODERATE EvidenceExcellent ValueDose: 1-2 washes per nostril, 1-3 times daily

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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️

Meth💀

Cigarettes🚬

Chemo☢️

Alcohol🍺

Morphine💊

Antibiotics💉

Tylenol💊

Exercise🏃

Water💧

DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

Immediate

Duration

As needed, 3-7 days for nasal symptoms

Response Rate

70%

Remission Rate

Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

Common Side Effects:

Nasal discomfort/burning: 8%

Ear fullness: 0.5%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$15

Monitoring

$600

Side Effects

Total Annual

$615

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

QALYs Gained

0.004

Cost per Responder

$21.43

Treatment Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Nasal Symptom SeverityTotal Nasal Symptom Score (TNSS, 0-15): 10

-25% (-2.5 points)

Overall Illness SeverityGlobal Illness Severity Visual Analog Scale (VAS, 0-100 mm): 70 mm

-20% (-14 mm)

Duration of SymptomsAverage Duration of URI Symptoms: 8 days

-12.5% (-1 day)

Secondary Benefits

Quality of LifeRhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (RQLQ, 0-6 scale): 3.5

-14.3% (-0.5 points)

Reduction in Analgesic/Decongestant UseFrequency of OTC medication use (days/week): 4 days

-25% (-1 day/week)

Mucociliary Clearance TimeSaccharine Transit Time: 150 seconds

-15% (-22.5 seconds)

Common Side Effects

Nasal discomfort/burning

+8%

Ear fullness

+0.5%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4

Zinc (lozenges/syrup)

55% Effectiveness• 70% Confidence• 85% Safety• 22 trials• 5.2K participants

MODERATE EvidenceExcellent ValueDose: 75-80mg elemental zinc per day

Find Trials

Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️

Meth💀

Cigarettes🚬

Chemo☢️

Alcohol🍺

Morphine💊

Antibiotics💉

Tylenol💊

Exercise🏃

Water💧

DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

Days (reduction in overall duration)

Duration

5-7 days, started within 24 hours of symptom onset

Response Rate

55%

Remission Rate

Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

Number Needed to Harm (NNH)

600

Common Side Effects:

Taste disturbance (metallic taste): 40%

Nausea/stomach upset: 15%

Diarrhea: 5%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$15

Monitoring

$600

Side Effects

Total Annual

$615

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

QALYs Gained

0.002

Cost per Responder

$27.27

Treatment Outcomes

Efficacy Outcomes

Overall Effectiveness

+55%

Response Rate

+55%

Common Side Effects

Taste disturbance (metallic taste)

+40%

Nausea/stomach upset

+15%

Diarrhea

+5%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4