Effectiveness of Local Application of Warm Air in Patients With Common Cold (HELI Study)

Charité University Medicine Berlin

Status: Completed

Conditions: Common Cold

Treatments: Procedure: inhalation of warm air in a Finnish sauna; Procedure: inhalation of ambient air in a Finnish sauna

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT00552981

HELI-2007

Details and patient eligibility

About

In a randomized controlled trial, the investigators include patients with beginning symptoms of a common cold and compare two interventions:

1. the inhalation of warm air for inducing a warming of the throat and
2. the inhalation of ambient air as control. As outcome the effect on symptoms and duration of the common cold will be assessed. The interventions will consist of visits with a duration of 2-3 minutes on three following days in a Finnish sauna. Patients will be fully dressed.

Enrollment: 157 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 60 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• symptom duration between 2 and 24 hours
• at least two of the ten following symptoms: cough, headache, hoarseness, muscle ache, nasal drainage, nasal congestion, scratchy throat, sore throat, sneezing, and fever
• no usage of medication bought in a pharmacy
• informed consent

Exclusion criteria

• fever >38.5°C
• systolic blood pressure below 100 mmHg or above 160 mmHg
• severe chronic disease, which makes study participation impossible
• pregnancy

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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157 participants in 2 patient groups

1

Active Comparator group

Treatment:

Procedure: inhalation of warm air in a Finnish sauna

2

Sham Comparator group

Treatment:

Procedure: inhalation of ambient air in a Finnish sauna