Meta-analysis of the efficacy of budesonide and ambroxol hydrochloride inhalation in children with pneumonia and their effects on inflammatory response

Childhood pneumonia, often caused by acute upper respiratory tract infections or bronchitis, is one of the leading causes of mortality in children. Nebulized inhalation, as a low-risk treatment method, has garnered significant attention. However, its effectiveness and safety remain controversial. In this study, a systematic review of relevant literature on the use of budesonide (BUD) and ambroxol hydrochloride (AMB) inhalation in the treatment of childhood pneumonia was conducted, and a total of 10 articles were included. The meta-analysis revealed an odds ratio (OR) of 1.61 and an I(2) value of 0.00 % for the effectiveness of combined BUD and AMB inhalation therapy in children with pneumonia, indicating no heterogeneity among the studies in terms of effectiveness. The OR values for BUD or AMB inhalation in alleviating cough, lung auscultation abnormalities, respiratory distress, body temperature, and cyanosis of the lips in children with pneumonia all favored the combined BUD therapy, showing significant relief of the aforementioned symptoms. However, due to variations in drug dosage and administration methods, high heterogeneity was observed. This study suggested that combined BUD and AMB inhalation therapy has better efficacy in treating childhood pneumonia, and BUD combined with AMB inhalation is more effective in alleviating symptoms such as cough, lung auscultation abnormalities, respiratory distress, normalizing body temperature, and reducing cyanosis of the lips. Nevertheless, further validation is required due to the limited sample size and substantial heterogeneity in the included studies. To sum up, this study provides the first analysis of the efficacy and inflammatory response of BUD and AMB inhalation in children with pneumonia. Future research should aim to verify and clarify these findings, considering the limitations of the existing studies in terms of sample size and heterogeneity.