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One dose dexamethasone enough for paediatric asthma

Dexamethasone Treatment Regimen and Clinical Outcomes in Children With Asthma Exacerbations
Annals of Emergency Medicine · Added 27 July 2026

Nearly two-thirds of children with asthma exacerbations were treated with 2 doses of dexamethasone rather than a single dose, even though treatment with 2 doses was not associated with improved outcomes.

Study type

Cohort

Design

Retrospective cohort with propensity weighting

Participants

2,063 children aged 2–20 discharged from 2 EDs after dexamethasone

Main finding

61.9% received a second dexamethasone dose; weighted ED revisit risk 5.2% (1 dose) vs 5.7% (2 doses), risk difference 0.45% (95% CI −1.4% to 2.3%); hospitalisation 0.85% vs 0.83% (RD 0.02%, 95% CI −0.93% to 0.89%).

Caveat

Retrospective design, residual confounding despite propensity weighting

Bottom line

Supports current practice

Learning goal

Weigh the benefits and harms of single-dose dexamethasone for paediatric asthma exacerbations in my practice.

More

• Topic: Respiratory
• Daily scan: 27 July 2026

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