Assessment of the Efficacy and Safety of Ivy Leaf (Hedera helix) Cough Syrup Compared with Acetylcysteine in Adults and Children with Acute Bronchitis

Introduction. Acute bronchitis is defined as a sudden inflammation of the bronchial tubes in the lung mainly caused by viral infection. It is characterized by a persistent cough which can be productive or dry. It is the most common disease in industrialized countries, and thus herbal expectorants en...

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Main Authors: Esther Kruttschnitt, Tankred Wegener, Catherine Zahner, Silke Henzen-Bücking
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Hindawi Limited 2020-01-01
Series:Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2020/1910656
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spelling doaj-6c895529ccf940658eb35110d9a2e4502020-11-25T03:11:35ZengHindawi LimitedEvidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine1741-427X1741-42882020-01-01202010.1155/2020/19106561910656Assessment of the Efficacy and Safety of Ivy Leaf (Hedera helix) Cough Syrup Compared with Acetylcysteine in Adults and Children with Acute BronchitisEsther Kruttschnitt0Tankred Wegener1Catherine Zahner2Silke Henzen-Bücking3Max Zeller Söhne AG, Seeblickstrasse 4, Romanshorn 8590, SwitzerlandCONSULTING HMP, Brückstrasse 11, Weinheim 69469, GermanyMax Zeller Söhne AG, Seeblickstrasse 4, Romanshorn 8590, SwitzerlandLandarztpraxis Sevelen, Velturrietstrasse 5, Sevelen 9475, SwitzerlandIntroduction. Acute bronchitis is defined as a sudden inflammation of the bronchial tubes in the lung mainly caused by viral infection. It is characterized by a persistent cough which can be productive or dry. It is the most common disease in industrialized countries, and thus herbal expectorants enjoy a high popularity in many European countries due to their favorable risk-benefit ratio. Objective. The present noninterventional study was intended to gain further data on the application of a cough syrup containing ivy leaf extract EA 575® by evaluating its efficacy and safety in children and adults with symptoms of acute bronchitis. Acetylcysteine (ACC) was chosen as comparator drug (common mono preparations). Material and Methods. The study was conducted at 25 medical practices throughout Switzerland as prospective, open, noninterventional study. Results. At entry visit, all clinical assessments including coughing fits, sputum, dyspnoea, rales, severity of the diseases, and coughing quality were rated with moderate intensity in both groups. At the final visit after seven days of treatment, there was a comparable improvement in both groups for all assessments except dyspnoea and number of cough attacks which showed a higher improvement in the EA 575® group compared with ACC. Further, cough-associated sleeping disorders improved more in the EA 575® group. Both, physicians and patients described the efficacy of EA 575® comparable with acetylcysteine. Observations of the tolerability were comparable for both products. The study results indicate that ivy leaf extract might be an effective alternative to acetylcysteine with respect to the improvement of respiratory function in children and adults at a slightly better evaluation of efficacy.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2020/1910656
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Esther Kruttschnitt
Tankred Wegener
Catherine Zahner
Silke Henzen-Bücking
spellingShingle Esther Kruttschnitt
Tankred Wegener
Catherine Zahner
Silke Henzen-Bücking
Assessment of the Efficacy and Safety of Ivy Leaf (Hedera helix) Cough Syrup Compared with Acetylcysteine in Adults and Children with Acute Bronchitis
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
author_facet Esther Kruttschnitt
Tankred Wegener
Catherine Zahner
Silke Henzen-Bücking
author_sort Esther Kruttschnitt
title Assessment of the Efficacy and Safety of Ivy Leaf (Hedera helix) Cough Syrup Compared with Acetylcysteine in Adults and Children with Acute Bronchitis
title_short Assessment of the Efficacy and Safety of Ivy Leaf (Hedera helix) Cough Syrup Compared with Acetylcysteine in Adults and Children with Acute Bronchitis
title_full Assessment of the Efficacy and Safety of Ivy Leaf (Hedera helix) Cough Syrup Compared with Acetylcysteine in Adults and Children with Acute Bronchitis
title_fullStr Assessment of the Efficacy and Safety of Ivy Leaf (Hedera helix) Cough Syrup Compared with Acetylcysteine in Adults and Children with Acute Bronchitis
title_full_unstemmed Assessment of the Efficacy and Safety of Ivy Leaf (Hedera helix) Cough Syrup Compared with Acetylcysteine in Adults and Children with Acute Bronchitis
title_sort assessment of the efficacy and safety of ivy leaf (hedera helix) cough syrup compared with acetylcysteine in adults and children with acute bronchitis
publisher Hindawi Limited
series Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
issn 1741-427X
1741-4288
publishDate 2020-01-01
description Introduction. Acute bronchitis is defined as a sudden inflammation of the bronchial tubes in the lung mainly caused by viral infection. It is characterized by a persistent cough which can be productive or dry. It is the most common disease in industrialized countries, and thus herbal expectorants enjoy a high popularity in many European countries due to their favorable risk-benefit ratio. Objective. The present noninterventional study was intended to gain further data on the application of a cough syrup containing ivy leaf extract EA 575® by evaluating its efficacy and safety in children and adults with symptoms of acute bronchitis. Acetylcysteine (ACC) was chosen as comparator drug (common mono preparations). Material and Methods. The study was conducted at 25 medical practices throughout Switzerland as prospective, open, noninterventional study. Results. At entry visit, all clinical assessments including coughing fits, sputum, dyspnoea, rales, severity of the diseases, and coughing quality were rated with moderate intensity in both groups. At the final visit after seven days of treatment, there was a comparable improvement in both groups for all assessments except dyspnoea and number of cough attacks which showed a higher improvement in the EA 575® group compared with ACC. Further, cough-associated sleeping disorders improved more in the EA 575® group. Both, physicians and patients described the efficacy of EA 575® comparable with acetylcysteine. Observations of the tolerability were comparable for both products. The study results indicate that ivy leaf extract might be an effective alternative to acetylcysteine with respect to the improvement of respiratory function in children and adults at a slightly better evaluation of efficacy.
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2020/1910656
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