Hand, foot, and mouth disease is a viral infection primarily caused by enterovirus A71 and coxsackievirus A16, significantly affecting children under five years old. Symptoms typically include fever, rashes on the hands and feet, and painful mouth ulcers, with most cases resolving within 7 to 10 days. This meta-analysis aimed to assess the efficacy of oseltamivir, an antiviral medication traditionally used for influenza, as an adjunct therapy for hand, foot, and mouth disease.
The researchers conducted a systematic search across six electronic databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, and Chinese literature databases, identifying studies published up to October 2020. Inclusion criteria focused on randomized controlled trials that evaluated the combined use of oseltamivir with traditional treatment regimens. A total of 11 randomized controlled trials involving 977 patients were included in the final analysis.
The results revealed that patients receiving oseltamivir combined with other therapies showed a significantly higher total effective rate compared to control groups. Furthermore, the oseltamivir group experienced shorter fever clearance time, reduced rash regression time and quicker clinical cure time, with no severe adverse reactions reported.
Despite these promising findings, the study faced several limitations, including a lack of diversity in study origins. The studies did not specify the types of enterovirus or the severity of the cases, and there were concerns regarding the overall methodological quality, with many studies lacking adequate blinding or reporting on allocation concealment.
This meta-analysis provides substantial evidence supporting the efficacy of oseltamivir as an adjunct treatment for hand, foot, and mouth disease, demonstrating improved clinical outcomes without increasing the risk of adverse effects. These findings suggest that oseltamivir could be a valuable option in management of the disease, showing the need for further research to confirm its efficacy in diverse populations and clinical settings.
