too few patients were included

The purpose of this study is to assess whether a 5-day treatment with orally administered prednisone provides patient-relevant benefits by improving the cough-related QoL of patients with post-infectious cough triggered by an Upper Respiratory Tract Infection (URTI) and seeking care in adult primary care practices. The study aims to describe an efficacy and safety profile for a 5-day prednisone treatment compared to a 5-day course of placebo.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients seeing a GP for a dry or productive post-infectious cough (3 to 8 weeks) after Upper Respiratory Tract Infection (URTI)
• Patients able and willing to give informed consent by themselves and to fill in the LCQ on day 0 with the GP and to answer phone calls from the research staff/study nurse at day 7, 14, and 28, and at 3 months for outcome assessment

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients with known or suspected diagnoses associated with cough, such as: pneumonia or suggestive symptoms and signs (abnormal vital signs, i.e. heart rate >100/min, respiratory rate >25/min, fever), allergic rhinitis, sinusitis, bronchial asthma, chronic pulmonary disease (COPD), or gastroesophageal reflux disease,
• Patients with other chronic disease such as bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis, cancer, tuberculosis, heart failure.
• Use of inhaled or oral corticosteroids within the last four weeks
• Immunodeficiency/immunocompromised state (e.g. cancer chemotherapy, HIV infection, administration of immune-suppressive agents)
• Pregnancy/ breastfeeding
• Regular treatment known to be associated with cough (e.g. angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors)
• Patients with pharmacotherapy for glaucoma or osteoporosis
• Experienced fractures due to osteoporosis
• Patients with uncontrolled diabetes (as deemed by GPs who appraise whether the potential side effects of short-time corticosteroids on glucose levels exceed the hypothesised benefit on cough)

blinded patients, physicians and outcome assessors