Ho 1994.
Methods | setting: Paediatric emergency department, Perth, Australia design: randomised, double‐blind controlled trial, parallel design length of intervention: length of hospitalisation up to 5 days masking: double blind excluded: stated withdrawals: stated baseline characteristics: similar in both treatment groups | |
Participants | 58 children mean age: 4 y: M 24, F 34 prednisolone arm: n=31 control arm: n=27 inclusion criteria: children age 2 ‐ 14 attending hospital emergency department with acute asthma with saturation <= 93% and requiring admission exclusion criteria: Seriously ill with asthma, previous steroids used (any oral or inhaled steroids >400 mcg/d) Child < 2yrs excluded | |
Interventions | 1mg/kg oral prednisolone given at admission
OR
placebo all children got standard therapy of regular beta 2 agonists. Some received theophylline and ipratropium bromide |
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Outcomes | Length of stay Change in SaO2 (12, 24 hrs) Change in predicted FEV1 (12, 24, 36hrs) Change in predicted PEFR (12, 24, 36 hrs) |
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Notes | Jadad score 4 | |
Risk of bias | ||
Bias | Authors' judgement | Support for judgement |
Allocation concealment? | Unclear risk | B ‐ Unclear |