Effects of herbal medicine on acute cough and quality of life in children and their parents - A prospective real life study

Abstract

Introduction: Most children have about 4–6 respiratory infections each year. The term “herbal medicine” is used to identify medicinal herbs or some substances obtained from such herbs that help the body to fight different diseases, including infections, and for improving overall health. This research was aimed at assessing the quality of life of children in the acute phase of the respiratory infection, who got natural syrup for the control of cough. Patients and method: The prospective study was conducted at the institute for children. The study included 99 respondents who were given the unique natural syrup for children twice a day for 10 days. The research was done using a questionnaire filled by the parents of children with cough. Results: After the supplementation it is evident decrease in number of subjects with above various disturbances (cough disturbs night sleep and regular daily activities) and thus quality of life improvement. There is significant improvement of their respiratory secretion characteristics. 70% of subjects reported improvement of cough symptoms, 27% no change. Syrup taste children considered as tasty (63%). It was determined significant positive correlation between children’s and parents’/ family life quality during visit. Conclusion: It can be concluded that after the application of the syrup in conjunction with a therapeutic therapy, the overall quality of life is improved. *Correspondence to: Ivana Filipovic, University Children Hospital, Serbia, Tel: 38163512678, E-mail: drivanica@yahoo.com