SynthesisPediatric pulmonology2016
Efficacy of oral corticosteroids in the treatment of acute wheezing episodes in asthmatic preschoolers: Systematic review with meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Pediatric pulmonology, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 2 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
15 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 70 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy of Macrolides on Acute Asthma or Wheezing Exacerbations in Children with Recurrent Wheezing: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Paediatric drugs · 2020Pooled it
- Intramuscular versus oral corticosteroids to reduce relapses following discharge from the emergency department for acute asthma.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018Pooled it
- Evidence-based guideline for clinical practice in the diagnosis, treatment, management, and prevention of recurrent wheezing in infants and toddlers in China.Pediatric investigation · 2026Article
- State of art of oral corticosteroids in children with acute asthma and wheezing.Italian journal of pediatrics · 2026Review
- Corticosteroids or NSAIDs in Managing Acute Respiratory Infections: Valuable Differences.Journal of immunology research · 2026Review
- Exacerbation of Asthma Among Pediatric Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
- The Relationship Between Asthma and Food Allergies in Children.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Management of Preschool Wheezing: Guideline from the Emilia-Romagna Asthma (ERA) Study Group.Journal of clinical medicine · 2022Article
- Reply to: Challenging the paradigm.Breathe (Sheffield, England) · 2022Article
- Factors Associated with Unscheduled Emergency Department Revisits in Children with Acute Lower Respiratory Tract Diseases.Open access emergency medicine : OAEM · 2022Article
- Time to Say Goodbye to Bronchiolitis, Viral Wheeze, Reactive Airways Disease, Wheeze Bronchitis and All That.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2020Review
- Management of preschool recurrent wheezing and asthma: a phenotype-based approach.Current opinion in allergy and clinical immunology · 2017Review
- Management of acute respiratory diseases in the pediatric population: the role of oral corticosteroids.Italian journal of pediatrics · 2017Review
- GEMA 5.3. Spanish Guideline on the Management of Asthma.Open respiratory archivesArticle
- Misuse of Glucocorticoids Short Courses in an Ambulatory Pediatric Facility: A Case Series of Forced Prescriptions for Common Wheezing or Rashes.Sage open pediatricsArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
rationaleSystemic corticosteroids (SCS) are used for treat preschoolers with acute asthma or wheezing exacerbations, with conflicting results.
objectiveTo evaluate the effectiveness of oral corticosteroids (OCS) compared to placebo in preschoolers presenting with acute asthma/wheezing exacerbations.
methodsFive electronic databases were searched for all placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trials of OCS in children <6 years of age presenting with recurrent wheezing/asthma exacerbations of any severity. Primary outcomes were hospitalizations, unscheduled emergency department (ED) visits in following month, need of additional OCS courses, and length of stay (ED or hospital).
resultsEleven studies met inclusion criteria (n = 1,733); four were conducted on an outpatient basis, five in inpatients, and two in the ED. Significant heterogeneity was found when pooling all studies, and thus analysis was stratified by trial setting. Among the outpatient studies, children who received OCS had a higher hospitalization rate (RR: 2.15 [95%CI = 1.08-4.29], I(2) = 0%) compared to those to received placebo. Among the ED studies, children who received OCS had a lower risk of hospitalization (RR: 0.58 [0.37-0.92], I(2) = 0%). Among the inpatient studies, children who received OCS needed fewer additional OCS courses than those on placebo (RR: 0.57 [0.40-0.81], I(2) = 0%).
conclusionsTreatment with OCS in the ED or hospital may be beneficial in toddlers and preschoolers with frequent asthma/wheezing exacerbations. However, more studies are needed before OCS can be broadly recommended for this age group. Future trials should be carefully designed to avoid bias and according to our findings regarding administration setting. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2016;51:868-876. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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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.