Study designs of evaluations included in the review
Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies with follow-up periods of 6 months were included in the review. The studies also reported results at 1, 2, 3 and 6 month intervals.
Specific interventions included in the review
RU 41740 given as 2 mg/day for 8 days and then 1 mg/day for 8 days, 2 months later.
Participants included in the review
Children with recurrent rhinopharyngitis infection (defined as the occurrence of at least 3 infections in the year before inclusion in the study). Children with recurrent tonsillitis or cystic fibrosis were excluded. The age range of the children in the included studies was from 1 to 13 years.
Outcomes assessed in the review
The primary outcome measure was the presence or absence of at least one infection within three months after discontinuation of treatment and the number of such infections. Secondary criteria included: the duration of infection and the severity of the infection (judged by the number and duration of prescribed antibiotics).
How were decisions on the relevance of primary studies made?
The authors do not state how the papers were selected for the review, or how many of the authors performed the selection.