Wheeze and Steroids in Preschoolers: Main study
In children aged between 24 and 59 months, presenting to emergency departments with acute preschool wheeze associated with a respiratory tract infection, is oral prednisolone 2mg/kg for 3 days equivalent to placebo in terms of respiratory distress measured at 24 hours by the Preschool Respiratory Assessment Measure (PRAM score).
Auckland District Health Board
400 participants
Aug 18, 2014
Interventional
Conditions
Summary
In school age children and adults we know prednisolone helps to reduce the length of wheezing. In children less than two years of age we know that prednisolone does not help children who wheeze. The few scientific studies that have been carried out in preschool children to assess the effect of prednisolone have had conflicting results. No one knows for sure if prednisolone helps preschool children with wheeze or not. Currently preschool children with wheeze are sometimes given prednisolone and sometimes they are not. We don’t know if giving prednisolone or not is the best treatment. The aim of this study is to determine if prednisolone helps to reduce the symptoms in preschool children with wheeze.
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria3
- Age 24 to 59 months
- Wheeze heard with or without a stethoscope
- Presenting with an acute respiratory illness
Exclusion Criteria9
- PRAM score < 3
- Unable to be followed up in 18-38 hours
- Corticosteroid in last 7 days
- Chronic respiratory, neurological or cardiac disease
- Contraindication to corticosteroid or allergy to prednisilone
- History consistent with foreign body inhalation
- Currently severe disease (i.e using life threatening asthma protocol or in resuscitation room)
- History of life threatening asthma
- Previously randomised in WASP study
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Interventions
2mg/kg oral prednisilone, once daily for 3 days. First dose will be directly observed, adherence to doses 2 and 3 will be via parental report without additional monitoring.
Locations(1)
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ACTRN12614000847617