Acyclovir for treating varicella in otherwise healthy children and adolescents: A systematic review of randomised controlled trials

BMC Pediatrics

Volumn 2, Issue , 2002, Pages

  Klassen, Terry P ^a   Belseck, Elaine M ^a   Wiebe, Natasha ^a   Hartling, Lisa ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA   (Canada)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

ACICLOVIR; PLACEBO; ANTIVIRUS AGENT;

ABDOMINAL PAIN; ANOREXIA; ARTHRALGIA; CHICKENPOX; CLINICAL STUDY; CLINICAL TRIAL; COCHRANE LIBRARY; COMMON COLD; CONJUNCTIVITIS; DATA ANALYSIS; DIARRHEA; DISEASE DURATION; DIZZINESS; DRUG EFFICACY; DRUG ERUPTION; DRUG INDICATION; DRUG INDUSTRY; EAR DISEASE; EMBASE; EPISTAXIS; FEVER; FLATULENCE; GASTROINTESTINAL SYMPTOM; GROUPS BY AGE; HAND MOVEMENT; HEADACHE; HUMAN; HYPERKINESIA; INSOMNIA; IRRITABILITY; MALAISE; MEDICAL LITERATURE; MEDLINE; METHODOLOGY; MUSCLE SPASM; NAUSEA AND VOMITING; OTALGIA; PAIN; PRURITUS; QUALITY CONTROL; RATING SCALE; RESPIRATORY TRACT DISEASE; RESTLESSNESS; REVIEW; SIDE EFFECT; SKIN DISEASE; SORE THROAT; STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE; STOMACH PAIN; SYSTEMATIC REVIEW; TREATMENT OUTCOME; URTICARIA; CHILD; CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIAL; RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL; TIME;

ACYCLOVIR; ANTIVIRAL AGENTS; CHICKENPOX; CHILD; FEVER; HUMANS; RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS; TIME FACTORS;

EID: 0642342352     PISSN: 14712431     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1186/1471-2431-2-9     Document Type: Review

References (41)

1. Brunell PA: Varicella-zoster infections. In: Textbook of pediatric infectious diseases (Edited by: Feign RD, Cherry JD) Philadelphia, WB Saunders 1987, 1602-1607
2. Preblud SR, Orenstein WA, Bart KJ: Varicella: clinical manifestations, epidemiology and health impact in children. Pediatr Infect Dis J 1984, 3:505-509
3. Ross AH: Modifications of chickenpox in family contacts by administration of gamma globulin. New Engl J Med 1962, 267:369-76
4. Avery ME: Varicella-zoster. In: Pediatric Medicine (Edited by: Avery ME, First LR) Baltimore, Williams and Wilkins 1987, 1180-1181
5. Gershon AA: Varicella in mother and infant: problems old and new. In: Infections of the fetus and newborn infant (Edited by: Krugman S, Gershon AA) New York, Alan R. Liss, Inc. 1975, 75-95
6. Meyers JD: Congenital varicella in term infants; risk reconsidered. J Infect Dis 1974, 129:215-217
7. Preblud SR: Age-specific risks of varicella complications. Pediatrics 1981, 68:14-17
8. Feldman SF, Hughes WT, Daniel CB: Varicella in children with cancer: seventy-seven cases. Pediatrics 1975, 56:388-397
9. Feldhoff CM, Balfour HH Jr, Simmons RL, Najarian JS, Mauer SM: Varicella in children with renal transplants. J Pediatr 1981, 98:25-31
10. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Infectious diseases information: varicella-zoster virus. CDC: National Center for Infectious Diseases 2001 [http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/list_varaicl.htm]
11. Feder HM: Treatment of adult chickenpox with oral acyclovir. Arch Intern Med 1990, 150:2061-5
12. Conway SP: Effect of oral acyclovir against primary and secondary viraemia in incubation period of varicella (commentary). Arch Dis Child 1993, 69:642-643
13. Mouzard A: Traitement par antiviral de la varicelle du nourrisson et de l'enfant: les arguments contre. Med Mal Infect 1998, 28:832-836
14. Rotbart HA, Levin MJ, Hayward AR: Immune responses to varicella zoster virus infections in healthy children. J Infect Dis 1993, 167:195-199
15. Drwal-Klein LA, O'Donovan CA: Varicella in pediatric patients. Ann Pharmacother 1993, 27(Jul/Aug):938-949
16. Laskin OL: Acyclovir: pharmacology and clinical experience. Arch Intern Med 1994, 144:1241-1246
17. Arvin AM: Oral therapy with acyclovir in infants and children. Pediatr Infect Dis J 1987, 6:56-58
18. Croze SM, Stoukides CA: Oral acyclovir in immunocompetent patients with varicella. Ann Pharmacother 1994, 28:208-209
19. Brunell PA: Chickenpox-examining our options. New Engl J Med 1991, 325:1577-1599
20. Preblud SR: Complications and costs. Pediatrics 1985, 78(Supplemental): 728-735
21. Moore DA, Hopkins RS: Assessment of a school exclusion policy during a chickenpox outbreak. Am J Epidemiol 1991, 133:1161-1167
22. Canadian Pediatric Society (CPS): School and daycare exclusion policies for chickenpox: a rational approach. Infectious Diseases Immunization Committee, Canadian Paediatric Society. Pediatr Child Health 1999, 4:287-288
23. Klassen TP, Belseck E, Wiebe N: Acyclovir for treating varicella in otherwise healthy children and adolescents (Protocol for a Cochrane Review). In: The Cochrane Library, Oxford: Update Software 2002
24. Jadad AR, Moore RA, Carroll D, Jenkinson C, Reynolds DJM, Gavaghan DJ, McQuay HJ: Assessing the quality of reports of randomised clinical trials: is blinding necessary. Control Clin Trials 1996, 17:1-12
25. Schulz KF, Chalmers I, Hayes RJ, Altman DG: Empirical evidence of bias: dimensions of methodological quality associated with estimates of treatment effects in controlled trials. JAMA 1995, 273:408-412
26. Balfour HH, Kelly JM, Suarez CS, Heussner RC, Englund JA, Crane DD, et al: Acyclovir treatment of varicella in otherwise healthy children. J Pediatr 1990, 116:633-639
27. Dunkle LM, Arvin AM, Whitley RJ, Rotbart HA, Feder HM, Feldman S, et al: A controlled trial of acyclovir for chickenpox in normal children. New Engl J Med 1991, 325:1539-1544
28. Balfour HH, Rotbart HA, Feldman S, Dunkle LM, Feder HM, Prober CG, et al: Acyclovir treatment of varicella in otherwise healthy adolescents. J Pediatr 1992, 120:627-633
29. Feder HM: Treatment of adult chickenpox with oral acyclovir. Arch Intern Med 1990, 150:2061-2065
30. Huang Y-C, Lin T-Y, Chiu C-H: Acyclovir prophylaxis of varicella after household exposure. Pediatr Infect Dis J 1995, 14:152-154
31. Suga S, Yoshikawa T, Ozaki T, Asano Y: Effect of oral acyclovir against primary and secondary viraemia in incubation period of varicella. Arch Dis Child 1993, 69:639-643
32. Lin T-Y, Huang Y-C, Ning H-C, Hsueh C: Oral acyclovir prophylaxis of varicella after intimate contact. Pediatr Infect Dis J 1997, 16:1162-1165
33. Balfour HH, Edelman CK, Anderson RS, Reed NV, Slivken RM, Marmor LH, Dix L, Aeppli D, Talarico CL: Controlled trial of acyclovir for chickenpox evaluating time of initiation and duration of therapy and viral resistance. Pediatr Infect Dis J 2001, 20:919-926
34. Barnes DE, Vero LA: Why review articles on the health effects of passive smoking reach different conclusions. JAMA 1998, 279:1566-1570
35. Jadad AR, Moher M, Browman GP, Booker L, Sigouin C, Fuentes M, Stevens R: Systematic reviews and meta-analyses on treatment of asthma: critical evaluation. BMJ 2000, 320:537-540
36. Cho MK, Bero LA: The quality of drug studies published in symposium proceedings. Ann Intern Med 1996, 124:485-489
37. McKendrick MW: Acyclovir for childhood chickenpox. Cost is unjustified. British Medical Journal 1995, 310:108-109
38. Balfour HH: No reason not to treat. BMJ 1995, 310:109-110
39. Ghirga G, Ghirga P, Pizzabiocca A, Maccarini I, Presti A: Treatment of varicella with low doses of acyclovir for two days (letter; comment). J Pediatr 1992, 120(4Pt1):664-665
40. Cole NL, Balfour HH Jr: Varicella-zoster virus does not become more resistant to acyclovir during therapy. J Infect Dis 1986, 153:605-608
41. Englund JA, Zimmerman ME, Swierkosz DM, Goodman JL, Schll DR, Balfour HH Jr: Herpes simplex virus resistant to acyclovir. A study in a tertiary care center. Ann Intern Med 1990, 112:416-422