Academic Journal
Menthol for the Relief of Dyspnea: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.
| Τίτλος: | Menthol for the Relief of Dyspnea: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials. |
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| Συγγραφείς: | Das Gupta K; Department of Medicine, National University Hospital, Singapore, Singapore. kuheli.dasgupta@mohh.com.sg., See KC; Division of Respiratory & Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, National University Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.; Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore. |
| Πηγή: | Lung [Lung] 2026 Sep 18; Vol. 204 (1). Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Sep 18. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Systematic Review; Journal Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Springer Verlag Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 7701875 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1432-1750 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 03412040 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Lung Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: New York : Springer Verlag Original Publication: Heidelberg, Springer International. |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Dyspnea*/drug therapy , Dyspnea*/physiopathology , Menthol*/therapeutic use, Humans ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Treatment Outcome |
| Περίληψη: | Background: Dyspnea is a symptom that can cause significant burden on activities of daily living. Overall, dyspnea has associations with increasing age, high body mass index (BMI), female sex and cardiorespiratory diseases. Aside from pharmacological treatments for underlying cardiorespiratory conditions that cause dyspnea, menthol has been discussed as a potential non-pharmacological intervention. However, its role remains contentious with uncertainty regarding efficacy and potential harm. Thus, this systematic review aims to explore the impact of menthol on dyspnea. Methods: A comprehensive search of databases (MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library) was performed from inception of each database to June 2026. Appropriate randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the effects of menthol on dyspnea outcomes were identified based on strict inclusion criteria. The RCTs included patients with dyspnea from underlying respiratory conditions and lab-based studies that simulated dyspnea in people with no underlying lung pathology through exercise. Studies with patients with respiratory conditions also induced dyspnea through exercise and inspiratory loaded breathing. The primary outcome was dyspnea which was measured through scores like Borg and Multidimensional Dyspnea Profile (MDP). Secondary outcomes included adverse events identified and impact on physiological parameters. Subsequently a descriptive analysis of data was carried out. Results: All eight studies selected showed improvement in dyspnea scores. Four studies positively impacted the immediate perception and sensory qualities domains of the MDP, while one study using a visual analogue scale score decreased dyspnea scores by 42% in one subgroup (flow-resistive loading) and 19% in another (elastic loading). Four studies used the modified Borg score to report dyspnea. Amongst these, Kanezaki et al [12] demonstrated a reduction in score by - 2 at maximal time and - 1 with maximal inspiratory resistive load showing a minimal clinical important difference in dyspnea (MCID). Prieur et al. [16]; Schaeffer et al. [14] and Vanden Bossche et al. [21] reduced Borg scores by 0.3, 0.7, 0.67 respectively but did not reach the MCID. However, all three studies did have participants that showed MCID. One study used the 11-point feeling scale to measure breathing comfort and showcased 1.5-point increase in bre̲athing comfort with menthol ingestion and 1 point increase in comfort with menthol rinse. There were no significant documented negative implications of menthol. Menthol had no impact on forced expiratory volume in one second and airway resistance measures. Conclusion: Menthol is an effective and safe treatment option for the short-term and symptomatic relief of dyspnea both at rest and during exercise. (© 2026. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declarations. Conflict of interest: The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose. Consent to Participate: Not applicable. Consent to Publication: Not applicable. Ethics Approval: Not applicable. |
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| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Dyspnea; Interstitial lung disease; Menthol; Nebulizers and vaporizers |
| Substance Nomenclature: | 1490-04-6 (Menthol) |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260918 Date Completed: 20260918 Latest Revision: 20261008 |
| Update Code: | 20261008 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s00408-026-00926-7 |
| PMID: | 42758197 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1432-1750 |
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| DOI: | 10.1007/s00408-026-00926-7 |