The effect of echinacea in the prevention of upper respiratory infections in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Background: The efficacy of echinacea products to treat upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) has been shown in some studies, however, there are few studies considering the efficacy of echinacea to prevent URTI. Therefore this study aimed to assess the effect of echinacea in the prevention of URTI in these children. Materiala and Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on 60 children with ALL in Shahid Sadoughi hospital from September 2020 to September 2021. These Children were divided into two groups (n=30). The case group received immunogen syrup, containing echinacea purpura root extract (200 mg/ml). This syrup was prescribed in the intervention group as 2 ml for children in the age range of 2-8 years and 0.5 ml for children in the age range of 1-2 years old for 3 months. The control group did not receive echinacea syrup. These patients were followed for 3 months regarding URTI. Results: The frequency of URTI in the case and control groups was 40% and 66.7%, respectively, and a significant difference was noted between the two groups in terms of the frequency of URTI (P<0.05). Moreover, 23.3% of patients who received echinacea developed a second URTI, while 53.3% of patients who did not receive echinacea developed a second URTI (P<0.05). The mean time for the second URTI in the case and the control groups was 42.3±13.93, and 48.3±13.96 days, respectively (P=0.086). Regarding reducing the duration of URTS symptoms, there was no significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusion: According to the results, echinacea can be effective in decreasing the occurrence of URTI in these children. Therefore, regarding the efficacy of echinacea in decreasing URTI, it is recommended to use echinacea in the prevention of URTI.