Reduced antibiotic use after initial treatment of acute respiratory infections with phytopharmaceuticals- a retrospective cohort study

Figures & data

Figure 1. Selection of study patients

Table 2. Basic characteristics of study patients by physician group

	General practitioners		Pediatricians
Variable	Phytopharmaceuticals	No phytopharmaceuticals	Phytopharmaceuticals	No phytopharmaceuticals
N	78,337	78,337	32,418	32,418
Age (mean, SD)	43.3 (19.3)	43.3 (19.3)	7.2 (3.9)	7.2 (3.9)
Sex: female (%)	56.1	56.1	49.3	49.3
CCI (mean, SD)	0.3 (0.6)	0.3 (0.6)	0.0 (0.1)	0.0 (0.1)
Private health insurance coverage (%)	4.4	4.4	7.8	7.8
Diagnoses (ICD-10 code) (%)
Viral infection of unspecified site (B34)	7.0	7.0	11.2	11.2
Acute nasopharyngitis (J00)	4.4	4.4	6.3	6.3
Acute sinusitis (J01)	4.0	4.0	0.8	0.8
Acute pharyngitis (J02 (excl. J02.0))	3.4	3.4	3.5	3.5
Acute laryngitis and tracheitis (J04)	1.2	1.2	2.3	2.3
Acute upper respiratory infections of multiple and unspecified sites (J06)	49.5	49.5	53.9	53.9
Acute bronchitis (J20 (excl. J20.0, 20.1, 20.2))	16.1	16.1	7.7	7.7
Bronchitis, not specified as acute or chronic (J40)	10.4	10.4	4.3	4.3
Cough (R05)	4.0	4.0	10.4	10.4

Table 1. Phytopharmaceuticals prescribed on the day of diagnosis

Active ingredient group	Number of prescriptions in database
	General practitioners	Pediatricians
Thyme extracts	802	180
Thyme and primrose root extracts	4,929	765
Thyme (1:2–2.5) and ivy leaf (1:1)extract	6,423	8,097
Extract (3–6:1) of dry gentian root, primrose flower, sorrel, elderflower, verbena(1:3:3:3:3)	11,057	338
Verbena, gentian root, garden sorrel, elderflower, primrose flower with calyx, each powdered	9,986	6,474
Dry ivy leaf extract (5–7.5:1)	7,395	15,150
Pelargonium sidoides root extract (1:8–10)(EPs® 7630)	2,326	574
Distillate of a mixture of rectified eucalyptus oil, rectified sweet orange oil, rectified myrtle oil, and rectified lemon oil (66:32:1:1)	21,730	239
Cineole	13,685	601

Figure 2. Association between phytopharmaceutical prescription on the day of the diagnosis and antibiotic prescription in the further course of the disease

Figure 3. Association between the phytopharmaceutical prescription on the day of the diagnosis and a sick leave of >7 days in general practices