A Multicenter, Randomized, Controlled Trial of Dexamethasone for Bronchiolitis

Infants with a first episode of wheezing diagnosed as bronchiolitis are often treated with oral dexamethasone. In this trial, children with bronchiolitis and no history of asthma received oral dexamethasone or placebo. There were no clinically significant differences in outcomes between the two groups. Children with bronchiolitis received oral dexamethasone or placebo. There were no clinically significant differences in outcomes between the two groups. Bronchiolitis is the leading cause of hospitalization for infants in the United States, 1 accounting for 100,000 admissions annually, with hospital charges alone estimated at $700 million. 2 Hospitalization rates for infants with bronchiolitis more than doubled between 1980 and 1996, and the proportion of infant hospitalizations that were due to bronchiolitis more than tripled, from 5% to 16%. 2 Treatment for bronchiolitis is controversial. Bronchodilators are commonly used, 3 , 4 but they have not been shown to have consistent benefits. 5 – 8 Although studies suggest that approximately a quarter of infants hospitalized with bronchiolitis receive corticosteroids, 3 , 4 , 9 the efficacy of these agents has . . .