Sobrerol in Managing Acute Respiratory Infections in Clinical Practice During the "Cold" Season: An Italian Primary Care Experience.

Abstract

Purpose: Acute upper respiratory infections (AURI) represent a daily challenge in primary care practice. Mucus production may impair during AURI. Sobrerol is a muco-active agent that improves rheological characteristics and exerts other ancillary activities. The aim of this retrospective case-series study was to compare the efficacy and safety of different uses of sobrerol (only oral, only nebulized, and combined or standard treatment for infections alone) in patients with AURIs.

Patients and methods: The present clinical experience retrospectively collected clinical data of patients with AURIs visited by ten primary care doctors (pediatricians and general practitioners) over a long period. Patients could take standard therapy for infections, or as add-on: oral sobrerol, nebulized sobrerol, or combined oral and nebulized aerosol during the infection for 3 days.

Results: Patients treated with combined oral and nebulized sobrerol experienced less intense symptoms, mainly concerning cough (p < 0.001) and nasal complaints (p = 0.043). In addition, the patients taking the combined therapy reported a more rapid disappearance of cough and nasal symptoms at day 7 than patients treated with the other options (OR 4.47 and 3.16, respectively).

Conclusion: The current retrospective and observational study showed that a three-day combined (oral and nebulized) sobrerol course may represent a valuable add-on option in patients with AURIs.