More Positive Findings for Dexamethasone in Pediatric Septic Arthritis

Dexamethasone therapy as an adjunct to antibiotic therapy has been shown to be effective for bacterial septic arthritis in two randomized, controlled trials. Now, researchers in Israel have conducted a retrospective, observational study comparing outcomes in children treated with dexamethasone plus antibiotics or antibiotics alone.

Of 116 children (aged 2 months to 18 years), 90 received antibiotics alone and 26 received dexamethasone (0.15 mg/kg every 6 hours for 4 days) plus antibiotics. Affected joints included the knee (54 patients), hip (23), ankle (14), shoulder (10), elbow (8), wrist (6), and interphalangeal joint (2). Children were treated significantly more frequently with the combination therapy than with antibiotics alone (73% vs.…