SynthesisPloS one2017
Systematic Review of the Toxicity of Long-Course Oral Corticosteroids in Children.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 67 papers, 4 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
67 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- British Society of Gastroenterology guidelines for diagnosis and management of autoimmune hepatitis.Gut · 2025Guideline
- The association between atopic dermatitis and linear growth in children- a systematic review.European journal of pediatrics · 2024Pooled it
- Risk factors for steroid-induced adverse psychological reactions and sleep problems in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia: A systematic review.Psycho-oncology · 2021Pooled it
- Safety of corticosteroids in young children with acute respiratory conditions: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ open · 2019Pooled it
- Where would immune thrombocytopenia be without intravenous gammaglobulin?Haematologica · 2026Article
- Systemic Corticosteroids in Pediatric Community-Acquired Pneumonia: Evidence, Clinical Outcomes, and Phenotype-Based Therapeutic Considerations.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- The Nucleolus in Human Disease: Ribosome Biogenesis, Nucleolar Surveillance, and Therapeutic Opportunities.Biomolecules · 2026Review
- IgA nephropathy new therapies: from data in adults to application in children.Pediatric nephrology (Berlin, Germany) · 2026Review
- Betanin fromBiomedicines · 2026Article
- Article
- Treatment Patterns and Healthcare Utilization on Pediatric Atopic Dermatitis With Allergic Comorbidities: A Japanese Claims-Based Study.The Journal of dermatology · 2026Observational
- Corticosteroid Use in Childhood-Onset Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Nationwide Cohort Study (2006-2022).United European gastroenterology journal · 2026Article
- State of art of oral corticosteroids in children with acute asthma and wheezing.Italian journal of pediatrics · 2026Review
- Childhood systemic glucocorticoid exposure and subsequent alterations in myocardial structure and cardiac function: a narrative review of clinical evidence.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2026Review
- Integrative Traditional Chinese Medicine Strategies for Refractory Mycoplasma Pneumonia in Children: Clinical Challenges, Mechanisms, and Evidence-Based Insights.Infection and drug resistance · 2026Review
- Immune dysregulation in pediatric tic disorders: mechanisms, biomarkers, and therapeutic frontiers.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Efficacy of High-Dose Methylprednisolone in Inducing Remission in Pediatric Acute Severe Ulcerative Colitis: Retrospective Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- The Perioperative Use of Dexmedetomidine in Paediatric Patients.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Prevalence and incidence of comorbidities in patients with atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, alopecia areata, and vitiligo using a Japanese claims database.The Journal of dermatology · 2025Article
- Atopic dermatitis in childhood and pubertal development: A nationwide cohort study.JAAD international · 2025Article
7 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundLong courses of oral corticosteroids are commonly used in children in the management of chronic conditions. Various adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are known to occur with their use. This systematic review aimed to identify the most common and serious ADRs and to determine their relative risk levels.
methodsA literature search of Embase, Medline, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts, CINAHL, Cochrane Library and PubMed was performed with no language restrictions in order to identify studies where oral corticosteroids were administered to patients aged 28 days to 18 years of age for at least 15 days of treatment. Each database was searched from their earliest dates to January 2016. All studies providing clear information on ADRs were included.
resultsOne hundred and one studies including 33 prospective cohort studies; 21 randomised controlled trials; 21 case series and 26 case reports met the inclusion criteria. These involved 6817 children and reported 4321 ADRs. The three ADRs experienced by the highest number of patients were weight gain, growth retardation and Cushingoid features with respective incidence rates of 21.1%, 18.1% and 19.4% of patients assessed for these ADRs. 21.5% of patients measured showed decreased bone density and 0.8% of patients showed osteoporosis. Biochemical HPA axis suppression was detected in 269 of 487 patients where it was measured. Infection was the most serious ADR, with twenty one deaths. Varicella zoster was the most frequent infection (9 deaths).
conclusionsWeight gain, growth retardation and Cushingoid features were the most frequent ADRs seen when long-course oral corticosteroids were given to children. Increased susceptibility to infection was the most serious ADR.
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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.