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 Vol. 19 No. 1, January 2008
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AAP Grand Rounds 19:1-2 (2008)
© 2008 American Academy of Pediatrics

EMERGENCY CARE

Intramuscular Dexamethasone is Equivalent to Oral Prednisolone for Asthma Exacerbations

Source: Gordon S, Tompkins T, Dayan P. Randomized trial of single-dose intramuscular dexamethasone compared with prednisolone for children with acute asthma. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2007;23(8):521–527; doi:10.1097/PEC.0b013e318128f821[CrossRef][Medline]

The first 20% of the full text of this article appears below.


PICO

Question: Among young children with acute asthma exacerbation, is a single dose of IM dexamethasone comparable to five days of oral prednisolone for resolution of asthma symptoms?

Question type: Therapy

Study Design: Randomized controlled trial

PICO Questions: What Are They? Read the Weighing the Evidence column on page 2

 

Steroids are recommended for moderate to severe asthma exacerbations by the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program.1 Emesis of oral prednisolone syrup is not uncommon and may result in hospitalization, a need for intravenous steroids, or suboptimal therapy.2–4

Researchers from Columbia University compared the clinical efficacy of a single dose of intramuscular dexamethasone sodium phosphate (IM dex) to a five-day course of oral prednisolone for the treatment of children with asthma exacerbations.

Patients aged 18 months to six years were enrolled if they presented with a mild to moderate asthma exacerbation and had a history of at least two prior episodes of . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Ronald I. Paul, MD, FAAP
Pediatric Emergency Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY

 

Related articles in AAP Grand Rounds:

Weighing the Evidence: PICO Questions: What Are They, and Why Bother?
Virginia Moyer
AAP Grand Rounds 2008 19: 2. [Extract] [Full Text]