TITLE:
Therapeutic Role of Carbocysteine in Chronic Respiratory and Otorhinolaryngological Diseases: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
AUTHORS:
Myriam Calle-Rubio, José Luis R. Martin
KEYWORDS:
Carbocysteine, Chronic Respiratory Disease, Mucoregulation, COPD Exacerbations, Otitis Media with Effusion, Meta-Analysis
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Respiratory Diseases,
Vol.15 No.3,
August
1,
2025
ABSTRACT: Background: Carbocysteine is a mucoregulatory agent with anti-inflammatory properties used in chronic respiratory and otorhinolaryngological diseases. However, clinical evidence across indications remains heterogeneous. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to assess the efficacy of oral carbocysteine in stable chronic conditions. PubMed, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched up to February 2025. Eligible randomized controlled trials compared carbocysteine with placebo or standard treatments. Outcomes were meta-analyzed when reported in at least two studies. Results: Twenty RCTs were included. In COPD, a meta-analysis of incidence rates showed a pooled rate ratio of 0.48 (95% CI: 0.32 - 0.72; p Conclusions: Carbocysteine demonstrates consistent clinical benefits in COPD and otitis media with effusion. Further high-quality trials are warranted in other chronic indications.