NCT01042145

Brief Summary

This randomized clinical trial was to compare the effectiveness of prednisone 2mg/kg/day for 3 days vs. dexamethasone 0.6mg/kg for 1 day for treatment of children with mild or moderate croup. It was conducted in a practice-based research network of community pediatricians in the St. Louis area. Outcomes included additional health care for croup, duration of symptoms, nights of disturbed sleep, parental stress, missed work days, and adverse events. Our hypothesis was that community-based treatment of children with mild or moderate croup with multiple doses of prednisone is superior to a single dose of dexamethasone.

Trial Health

87
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
87

participants targeted

Target at P50-P75 for phase_4

Timeline
Completed

Started Oct 2009

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
completed

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Start

First participant enrolled

October 1, 2009

Completed
3 months until next milestone

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

January 4, 2010

Completed
1 day until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

January 5, 2010

Completed
1.4 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

June 1, 2011

Completed
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

June 1, 2011

Completed
3.3 years until next milestone

Results Posted

Study results publicly available

September 15, 2014

Completed
Last Updated

September 15, 2014

Status Verified

September 1, 2014

Enrollment Period

1.7 years

First QC Date

January 4, 2010

Results QC Date

December 24, 2012

Last Update Submit

September 11, 2014

Conditions

Keywords

Primary CareTreatmentCroupCorticosteroidsPrednisoneDexamethasoneRandomized trial

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • Additional Health Care

    The primary outcome was the % of participants who had additional health care for croup within 11 days of randomization assessed by self-report. This dichotomous variable was positive if any of the following occurred: office visit, ED visit or hospitalization for croup care.

    11 days

Secondary Outcomes (5)

  • Duration of Croup Symptoms

    12 days

  • Nights With Disturbed Sleep

    12 days

  • Parental Stress

    12 days

  • Time Missed From Work

    12 days

  • Number of Participants With Reported Side Effects

    12 days

Study Arms (2)

Prednisone

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Prednisone, 2mg/kg for 3 days

Drug: Prednisone

Dexamethasone

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Dexamethasone, 0.6mg/kg for one day, then placebo for 2 days

Drug: Dexamethasone

Interventions

2 mgs/kg for 3 days

Prednisone

0.6 mgs for one day, then placebo for 2 days

Dexamethasone

Eligibility Criteria

Age1 Year - 8 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsChild (0-17)

You may qualify if:

  • children aged 1 to 8 years old (not yet reached their 9th birthday), who have croup symptoms for less than or equal to 48 hours and have a physician diagnosis of mild or moderate croup.

You may not qualify if:

  • Severe croup or impending respiratory failure;
  • another reason to indicate the need for hospitalization;
  • symptoms or signs to suggest another cause of stridor;
  • active varicella infection;
  • diabetes;
  • known immunodeficiency disease;
  • chronic respiratory disease such as CF (Cystic Fibrosis);
  • prescribed a controller medication or oral steroids for asthma in the past 12 months;
  • a history of TB(tuberculosis) in a household member;
  • treatment for seizures;
  • treatment with epinephrine or oral corticosteroids for this croup episode before enrollment;
  • not accompanied by their legal guardian;
  • the accompanying adult will not be in the same household as the child for the next four days;
  • parent/legal guardian is unavailable for telephone follow-up or does not speak English.

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Washington University School of Medicine

St Louis, Missouri, 63110, United States

Location

Related Publications (1)

  • Garbutt JM, Conlon B, Sterkel R, Baty J, Schechtman KB, Mandrell K, Leege E, Gentry S, Stunk RC. The comparative effectiveness of prednisolone and dexamethasone for children with croup: a community-based randomized trial. Clin Pediatr (Phila). 2013 Nov;52(11):1014-21. doi: 10.1177/0009922813504823. Epub 2013 Oct 3.

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Croup

Interventions

PrednisoneDexamethasone

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

LaryngitisLaryngeal DiseasesRespiratory Tract DiseasesOtorhinolaryngologic Diseases

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

PregnadienediolsPregnadienesPregnanesSteroidsFused-Ring CompoundsPolycyclic CompoundsPregnadienetriolsSteroids, Fluorinated

Limitations and Caveats

Our failure to demonstrate any difference bewteen the two study groups may be due to the small sample size. We were unable to recruit the targeted sample size of 200.

Results Point of Contact

Title
Dr. Jane Garbutt
Organization
Washington University School of Medicine

Study Officials

  • Jane M Garbutt, MB, ChB

    Washington University School of Medicine

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Publication Agreements

PI is Sponsor Employee
Yes

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
phase 4
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
TRIPLE
Who Masked
PARTICIPANT, CARE PROVIDER, INVESTIGATOR
Purpose
TREATMENT
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Associate Professor

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

January 4, 2010

First Posted

January 5, 2010

Study Start

October 1, 2009

Primary Completion

June 1, 2011

Study Completion

June 1, 2011

Last Updated

September 15, 2014

Results First Posted

September 15, 2014

Record last verified: 2014-09

Locations