BMJ  2004;329 (21 August), doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7463.0-f

Filler

POEM^*

Antibacterial household products don't reduce symptoms of infectious disease

Question Does the use of antibacterial household products reduce symptoms of infectious disease?

Synopsis The effect of antibacterial products on infectious disease symptoms has not been previously studied despite their widespread use. This rigorously designed randomised double blind study included 238 urban households of at least three people, at least one of whom was a preschool child. Each household received products with or without antibacterial ingredients to use for 48 weeks. Analysis was by intention to treat. The antibacterial products were a general spray cleaner with a quaternary ammonium compound for use on hard surfaces, a hand washing product with triclosan, and a laundry detergent with oxygenated bleach. Households were surveyed weekly for infectious disease symptoms: vomiting, diarrhoea, fever, cough, runny nose, skin infections, and conjunctivitis. During a total of 2737 household months there were no differences between the two groups for the presence of any infectious disease symptom (33% v 32%), specific infectious disease symptoms, or the number of infectious disease symptoms.

Bottom line The use of antibacterial household products did not reduce symptoms of infectious disease in an urban Hispanic population of households, all of which included preschool children.

Level of evidence 1b (see www.infopoems.com/levels.html). Individual randomised controlled trials (with narrow confidence interval)

---

Larson EL, Lin SX, Gomez-Pichardo C, Della-Latta P. Effect of antibacterial home cleaning and handwashing products on infectious disease symptoms. Ann Intern Med 2004;140: 321-9[Abstract/Free Full Text].

©infoPOEMs 1992-2003 www.infoPOEMs.com/informationmastery.cfm

^* Patient-Oriented Evidence that Matters. See editorial ( BMJ 2002;325: 983[Free Full Text])

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?