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Dexamethasone is widely used for asthma exacerbations in children; however, due to the drug’s long half-life, it’s unclear whether a second dose is beneficial. To answer this question, researchers retrospectively examined 2000 patients (mean age, 5 years) who received dexamethasone for an asthma exacerbation and were then discharged from pediatric emergency departments (EDs). Children with other indications for corticosteroids (e.g., croup) were excluded.
Most patients (62%) were prescribed two doses of dexamethasone and likely had worse disease than those receiving one dose, as indicated by higher asthma severity scores and more bronchodilators and magnesium administered in the ED.
In the 14 days after discharge, the two gr…