1c:I[419806,["/_next/static/chunks/bb923814e1f4d2e9.js","/_next/static/chunks/dd3ee9f5b7716ca6.js","/_next/static/chunks/4204a0ae82542ca8.js","/_next/static/chunks/30036bedc5269936.js","/_next/static/chunks/6e1aa89a642f40be.js","/_next/static/chunks/cd5e572bc3e4eb92.js","/_next/static/chunks/8ffd0b71567920d8.js","/_next/static/chunks/67ea6dfd21f16c5f.js","/_next/static/chunks/24eb4379f68013fd.js","/_next/static/chunks/b8cd775ffdf935bd.js","/_next/static/chunks/983103cd9eb7b428.js","/_next/static/chunks/d4ac9dcf27f6ff52.js","/_next/static/chunks/294b9525248c8e5f.js"],"default"] 1d:T408,THE VALUE of corticosteroids in the treatment of croup has not been convincingly established. Some authors have claimed that corticosteroid therapy reduced or shortened the duration of airway obstruction so that fewer patients required tracheostomy.^1,2Skowron and his associates³were able to demonstrate in a controlled study that the duration of fever, stridor, sternal retractions, and hospital stay were significantly reduced in corticosteroid treated patients, but concluded that the potential risk of serious side effects outweighed these advantages. Other workers have been unable to show measurable benefit from steroid therapy.^4-6 Croup is a common disorder in young children, and therapy may occasionally include tracheostomy. It therefore seemed important to determine in a carefully controlled study whether the course of the disease could in fact be alleviated by the administration of corticosteroids. A preliminary pilot study carried out during 1964 and 1965 by D. Kaufman, MD, and J.1e:T419,The value of corticosteroids in the treatment of acute croup remains in doubt. Support for their use comes primarily from the otolaryngology literature. Martensson, et al,¹Novik,²and Davison³maintain that the course of the illness is shortened by the antiinflammatory effect of steroid therapy. Morse⁴stated that this form of treatment has reduced the incidence of tracheostomy. Leegaard⁵does not agree with this concept. In a recent study, Eden and Larkin⁶could not demonstrate any difference between the control and corticosteroidtreated groups. In a further attempt to help resolve this question, a controlled, double-blind study was carried out on 50 hospital patients with acute croup.

Materials and Methods

Fifty consecutive patients admitted to the hospital with acute croup were included in this study. Children presenting with acute respiratory infections characterized by barking cough, hoarseness,sternal retractions, and respiratory stridor were included. One of

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References