Proportion of patients with resolution of symptoms on day 7*
| Symptom resolved | Group; % (no.) of patients | Absolute risk difference, % (95% CI) | Relative risk (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prednisolone n = 88 | Placebo n = 86 | |||
| Facial pain or pressure | 62.5 (55/88) | 55.8 (48/86) | 6.7 (−7.9 to 21.2) | 1.12 (0.87 to 1.44) |
| Severe facial pain or pressure† | 93.2 (82/88) | 82.6 (71/86) | 10.6 (1.0 to 20.2) | 1.13 (1.01 to 1.26) |
| Nasal congestion | 57.5 (50/87) | 53.5 (46/86) | 4.0 (−10.8 to 18.8) | 1.07 (0.82 to 1.40) |
| Postnasal discharge | 54.5 (48/88) | 57.6 (49/85) | −3.0 (−17.9 to 11.7) | 0.95 (0.73 to 1.23) |
| Runny nose | 69.3 (61/88) | 58.1 (50/86) | 11.2 (−3.0 to 25.3) | 1.19 (0.95 to 1.50) |
| Cough | 66.3 (57/86) | 54.8 (46/84) | 11.5 (−3.1 to 26.1) | 1.21 (0.95 to 1.55) |
| Total symptoms‡ | 32.9 (28/85) | 25.3 (21/83) | 7.6 (−6.1 to 21.3) | 1.30 (0.81 to 2.10) |
| Severe total symptoms | 81.2 (69/85) | 78.3 (65/83) | 2.9 (−9.3 to 15.0) | 1.04 (0.89 to 1.21) |
| 4 of 5 total symptoms | 44.7 (38/85) | 39.8 (33/83) | 5.0 (−10.0 to 19.9) | 1.12 (0.79 to 1.60) |
| 3 of 5 total symptoms | 62.4 (53/85) | 57.8 (48/83) | 4.5 (−10.3 to 19.3) | 1.08 (0.84 to 1.38) |
Note: CI = confidence interval.
↵* Defined as a symptom score of 0 (normal or no problem) or 1 (very mild problem).
↵† Defined as the absence of severe pain or pressure (score of 4 or 5) regardless of the baseline severity score.
↵‡ Complete symptom relief of runny nose, postnasal discharge, nasal congestion, cough and facial pain or pressure.