Visiting a sauna: does inhaling hot dry air reduce common cold symptoms? A randomised controlled trial
Pach D, Knöchel B, Lüdtke R, Wruck K, Willich SN, Witt CM
The Medical journal of Australia · 3 citations
Review labels
Neutral facts our review recorded about how this study was done. They describe method, never whether we like the result.
How it was studied
- Design
- Randomized controlled trial (indexed by PubMed)
- Studied in
- People
- Main outcome
- Health markers and function
Who paid for it
- Funding
- Funding not disclosed
Publication
- Published
- 2010-12-01 · Med J Aust · vol. 193 · issue 11-12 · pp. 730–734
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Cited
- 11 citations · more than 19% of similar papers · 0.0× the field average
- References
- 18 works
- Access
- Free to read
- Research areas
- Thermoregulation and physiological responses · Allergic Rhinitis and Sensitization · Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research
- Keywords
- Medicine, Randomized controlled trial, Common cold, Psychological intervention, Physical therapy, Internal medicine
- MeSH
- humans, common cold, treatment outcome, steam bath, severity of illness index, single-blind method, temperature, air, inhalation, research design, adolescent, adult, middle aged, female, male, hot temperature, young adult
6 authors
From DE
- Daniel Pach · correspondingCharité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
- Bettina KnöchelCharité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
- Rainer LüdtkeKarl und Veronica Carstens-Stiftung
- Katja WruckCharité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
- Stefan N. WillichCharité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
- Claudia Margitta WittCharité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Abstract
Objective
To compare the efficacy of applying hot dry air versus dry air at room temperature to the throat of patients with a newly acquired common cold using a symptom severity score.
Design, setting and participants
A randomised single-blind controlled trial with a treatment duration of 3 days and a follow-up period of 4 days was conducted at a sauna in Berlin, Germany. Between November 2007 and March 2008 and between September 2008 and April 2009, 157 patients with symptoms of the common cold were randomly assigned to an intervention group (n=80) and a control group (n=77).
Interventions
Participants in the intervention group inhaled hot dry air within a hot sauna, dressed in a winter coat, whereas participants in the control group inhaled dry air at room temperature within a hot sauna, also dressed in a winter coat.
Main outcome measures
Area under the curve (AUC) summarising symptom severity over time (Days 2, 3, 5 and 7), symptom severity scores for individual days, intake of medication for the common cold and general ill feeling.
Results
No significant difference between groups was observed for AUC representing symptom severity over time (intervention group mean, 31.2 [SEM, 1.8]; control group mean, 35.1 [SEM, 2.3]; group difference, -3.9 [95% CI, -9.7 to 1.9]; P=0.19). However, significant differences between groups were found for medication use on Day 1 (P=0.01), symptom severity score on Day 2 (P=0.04), and participants' ratings of the effectiveness of the therapy on Day 7 (P=0.03).
Conclusion
Inhaling hot air while in a sauna has no significant impact on overall symptom severity of the common cold.
Trial registration
ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT00552981.
Abstract via Europe PMC. Copyright remains with the authors or publisher.
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