Are systemic corticosteroids useful for the management of acute pharyngitis?

INTRODUCTION

Pain associated to acute pharyngitis is a frequent cause of consultation. Usual care includes non-steroidal anti-inflammatories and antibiotics in selected cases, but pain relief is not always quick enough. The use of corticosteroids has been proposed as a therapeutic alternative, but its actual efficacy is matter of debate.

METHODS

To answer this question we used Epistemonikos, the largest database of systematic reviews in health, which is maintained by screening multiple information sources, including MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane, among others. We extracted data from the systematic reviews, reanalyzed data of primary studies, conducted a meta-analysis and generated a summary of findings table using the GRADE approach.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

We identified eight systematic reviews including 11 studies overall, of which 10 were randomized trials. We concluded a short course of systemic corticosteroids reduces pain related to acute pharyngitis, without increasing the risk of adverse effects.