Gleeson 1990.

Methods	setting: Children's hospital, London, England design: randomised double‐blind controlled trial, parallel design length of intervention: duration of hospital stay masking: double blind excluded: stated withdrawals: not stated baseline characteristics: similar in both treatment groups
Participants	39 children median age: 5 y: M 29, F 9 hydrocortisone/prednisone arm: n=19 control arm: n=20 inclusion criteria: children age 2 ‐ 11 admitted to hospital with acute asthma who were unresponsive to two doses of nebulised salbutamol exclusion criteria: Previous regular inhaled/oral steroid use in previous year or in previous month a short course of oral steroid. Liver disease, hypothyroidism, drug interaction potential.
Interventions	IV Hydrocortisone 6mg/kg initially then 2mg/kg q 4h for at least 24h then po prednisone 1mg/kg bd OR placebo all children got standard therapy of Nebulised salbutamol 0.15mg/kg/dose made up to 4mls saline q2‐4h IV aminophylline 5mg/kg load then 1mg/kg/hr then switched to oral theophylline Ipratropium was also used if above did not work
Outcomes	SaO2 <95% at discharge Wheeze free on ausculation at discharge Relapse rate < 3 months
Notes	Jadad score 2 One patient treated twice
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Allocation concealment?	Unclear risk	B ‐ Unclear