Trial reportArchives of disease in childhood2006
Prednisolone versus dexamethasone in croup: a randomised equivalence trial.
Trial report in Archives of disease in childhood, 2006. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Glucocorticoids for croup in children.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2023Pooled it
- Safety of corticosteroids in young children with acute respiratory conditions: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ open · 2019Pooled it
- Glucocorticoids for croup in children.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018Pooled it
- Croup.BMJ clinical evidence · 2014Pooled it
- Croup.BMJ clinical evidence · 2009Pooled it
- The comparative effectiveness of prednisolone and dexamethasone for children with croup: a community-based randomized trial.Clinical pediatrics · 2013Trial
- Quantitative proteomics and phosphoproteomics reveal glucocorticoid stimulation of TLR and Rho GTPase signaling in neutrophil-like cells.Genome biology · 2026Article
- Peptide targeting improves the delivery and therapeutic index of glucocorticoids to treat rheumatoid arthritis.Journal of controlled release : official journal of the Controlled Release Society · 2024Article
- Comparison between single-dose oral prednisolone and oral dexamethasone in the treatment of croup: a randomized-controlled trial.Annals of medicine and surgery (2012) · 2023Article
- Prednisolone suppresses the immunostimulatory effects of 27-hydroxycholesterol.Experimental and therapeutic medicine · 2020Article
- Formulation Optimization and Assessment of Dexamethasone Orally Disintegrating Tablets Using Box-Behnken Design.Iranian journal of pharmaceutical research : IJPR · 2018Article
- A Systematic Review and Comprehensive Critical Analysis Examining the Use of Prednisolone for the Treatment of Mild to Moderate Croup.The open nursing journal · 2017Article
- Acute Respiratory Distress in Children: Croup and Acute Asthma.Indian journal of pediatrics · 2015Review
- Local production of CCL3, CCL11, and IFN-γ correlates with disease severity in murine parainfluenza virus infection.Virology journal · 2013Article
- Croup in children.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2013Review
- Common pediatric respiratory emergencies.Emergency medicine clinics of North America · 2012Review
- Scientific rationale for the use of alpha-adrenergic agonists and glucocorticoids in the therapy of pediatric stridor.International journal of otolaryngology · 2011Article
- Infections of the airway.Paediatric anaesthesia · 2009Review
- Croup.Lancet (London, England) · 2008Review
- Cervical Edema Extending to the Larynx as Local Cytokine Release Syndrome Following Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Therapy in a Boy with Refractory Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.Case reports in oncologyArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundCroup remains a common respiratory problem presenting to emergency departments. A single oral treatment of oral dexamethasone results in improved outcome. Prednisolone has similar pharmacokinetic properties and has a significant advantage in that it is commercially available in liquid preparations.
objectiveTo ascertain whether a single oral dose of prednisolone was equivalent to a single oral dose of dexamethasone (matched for potency) in children with mild to moderate croup.
designA double blind, randomised, controlled equivalence trial.
settingTertiary paediatric emergency department. PATIENTS: 133 children aged 3 to 142 months presenting with mild to moderate croup.
interventionsChildren received either a single oral dose of dexamethasone 0.15 mg/kg or single oral dose of prednisolone 1 mg/kg. OUTCOME: The main outcome measure was unscheduled re-presentation to medical care as determined by telephone follow up at 7 to 10 days. Croup score, adrenaline (epinephrine) use, time spent in the emergency department, and duration of croup and viral symptoms were secondary outcome measures.
resultsChildren treated with prednisolone were more likely to re-present: 19 of 65 children (29%) reattended medical care compared with 5 of 68 (7%) from the dexamethasone group. The confidence intervals around this 22% difference in outcome were 8% to 35%, outside the 0% to 7.5% range of equivalence. There were no significant differences in other outcome measures.
conclusionA single oral dose of prednisolone is less effective than a single oral dose of dexamethasone in reducing unscheduled re-presentation to medical care in children with mild to moderate croup.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.