Drugs early for croup
November 18, 2011
TREATMENT with corticosteroids
for just 30 minutes can benefit
children with croup, according to a
new Cochrane study.
The Australian research,
conducted by Clinical Professor
Gary Geelhoed and Dr Milana
Dobrovoljac from the Emergency
Department at the Princess
Margaret Hospital for Children in
Perth, observed 70 children aged
over six months who presented to a
paediatric emergency department
with croup.
According to their observations
children benefited within 30
minutes of treatment with
dexamethasone (much less than
the 4-6 hours previously thought),
and in lower 0.15mg/kg doses than
the 0.6mg/kg usually used.
“Just 10 minutes after treatment
with 0.15 mg/kg of dexamethasone,
an oral corticosteroid, benefit was
observed,” researchers said.
“This result might encourage
doctors to treat more children with
all severities of croup and be less
worried about potential side-effects
and delayed benefit,” said
Geelhoed.
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