Antibiotics effective for prolonged wet cough in children

Antibiotics were beneficial in curing the cough (number needed to treat to benefit = 3). Antibiotics also prevented the illness from getting worse, thus avoiding a further course of antibiotics (NNTB = 4). The studies varied in treatment duration (from 7 to 14 days) and the antibiotic used (2 studies used amoxicillin/clavulanic acid; 1 study used erythromycin). There was no clear evidence about whether antibiotics were associated with more side effects. It was not possible to assess long‐term results.