Bee product efficacy in children with upper respiratory tract infections

Background and Objectives. The most common infectious disease in children is acute upper respiratory tract infection (URTI). Many drugs, especially antitussive drugs, are used for symptomatic treatment. Bee products (propolis, royal jelly, and honey) have antiviral, antibacterial, and antioxidant properties, and they have synergistic effects with antibiotics. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a mixture of bee products in URTI in children. Methods. The patients were divided into four groups consisting of two bacterial groups receiving either antibiotics or antibiotics + bee products and two viral groups treated with either placebo or bee products. Disease severity and improvement duration were assessed by the Canadian Acute Respiratory Illness and Flu Scale (CARIFS) Score. Results. One hundred and four patients (59 male, 56.7%; 45 female, 43.3%) aged between 5‒12 years were included in the study. Fifty patients (48%) were evaluated for bacterial infections and 54 (52%) for viral infections. Patients with viral infection receiving a mixture product showed earlier improvement, compared to placebo group. CARIFS scores were significantly lower in antibiotic + mixture group on day-2 and day-4, compared to antibiotic alone group (p < 0.05). None of the patients developed any reactions or side effects to the mixture product. Conclusions. Bee products are effective in symptomatic treatment of upper respiratory tract infections. Bee products can be considered as a good treatment option because the available drugs already used for symptomatic treatment are not cost effective and can also have serious side effects in children.