The Use of High-dose Corticosteroids in Seriously Ill Children with Acute Viral Bronchiolitis

Introduction: The aim of the present study is to investigate whether high-dose corticosteroids cause a clinical improvement in seriously ill children with acute viral bronchiolitis. Methods: Hospital records of patients diagnosed with acute viral bronchiolitis and admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit or general pediatrics service in a tertiary care hospital were reviewed retrospectively. Patients receiving steroids were divided into two subgroups: high-dose and standard-dose corticosteroid recipients. Patients diagnosed with acute viral bronchiolitis but receiving no corticosteroid treatment constituted the control group. Results: While there was no difference between the pre- and postdrug pulse rates of all three groups, a difference was observed in both pre- and post-drug breathing rates between the high-dose steroid and control groups. However, there was no difference between the average pre- and post-drug breathing rates in the highdose steroid, standard-dose steroid and control groups. There was no regression relationship between the treatment applied and either the pulse rate or the breathing rate in the entire study group. Conclusion: The results of our study show that even at high doses, corticosteroids provide no obvious improvement in the patient's clinical status and do not shorten the length of hospitalisation.