TY - JOUR AU - Long, Sarah PY - 2020/11/18 Y2 - 2024/03/28 TI - Managing atopic dermatitis in dogs: are antihistamines as effective as glucocorticoids? JF - Veterinary Evidence JA - VE VL - 5 IS - 4 SE - Knowledge Summaries DO - 10.18849/ve.v5i4.335 UR - https://veterinaryevidence.org/index.php/ve/article/view/335 SP - AB - <p><strong>PICO question</strong><strong><br><br></strong></p><p>In dogs with atopic dermatitis, are antihistamines as effective as glucocorticoids at reducing the severity of clinical signs?</p><p><strong>&nbsp;</strong></p><p><strong>Clinical bottom line</strong></p><p><strong>Category of research question</strong></p><p>Treatment</p><p><strong>The number and type of study designs reviewed</strong></p><p>Two randomised control trials and one crossover placebo-controlled trial</p><p><strong>Strength of evidence</strong></p><p>Critical appraisal of the selected papers meeting the inclusion criteria collectively provide weak evidence in terms of their experimental design and implementation</p><p><strong>Outcomes reported</strong></p><p>The outcomes reported were conflicting. Two studies reported that fexofenadine may be as effective as methylprednisolone at reducing the severity of clinical signs after 6 weeks of treatment however, the study size was small in one and there was limited reporting of the data in the other. The third study, the crossover placebo-controlled trial, tested a variety of antihistamines and prednisone with limited reporting of statistical analysis of the data and found that antihistamines did not provide a sufficient reduction in pruritus unless combined with prednisone</p><p><strong>Conclusion</strong></p><p>In view of the strength of evidence and the outcomes from the studies, there is insufficient quality of evidence to answer the PICO question and further comparative study is needed</p><p><strong>&nbsp;</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.ebvmlearning.org/apply/">How to apply this evidence in practice</a></p><p>The application of evidence into practice should take into account multiple factors, not limited to: individual clinical expertise, patient’s circumstances and owners’ values, country, location or clinic where you work, the individual case in front of you, the availability of therapies and resources.</p><p>Knowledge Summaries are a resource to help reinforce or inform decision making. They do not override the responsibility or judgement of the practitioner to do what is best for the animal in their care.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><img src="https://www.veterinaryevidence.org/rcvskmod/icons/oa-icon.jpg" alt="Open Access"> <img src="https://www.veterinaryevidence.org/rcvskmod/icons/pr-icon.jpg" alt="Peer Reviewed"></p> ER -