Lower respiratory illness in infants and young children with cystic fibrosis

Evaluation of rescue oral glucocorticoid therapy during inpatient cystic fibrosis exacerbations

“…A case report of four young patients under age six with no clinical improvement after IV antimicrobial therapy for APE showed dramatic improvement in respiratory distress and oxygen requirements after IV methylprednisolone burst (1 g/1.73 m 2 per day for 3 days) 19 . A study of 20 infants with APE demonstrated a statistically significant increase in forced expiratory flows after treatment with hydrocortisone in addition to standard therapy, with no significant increase in the placebo‐treated group 20 . Additionally, several of the infants given placebo in this study, and none of the steroid‐treated infants, had a recurrence in respiratory symptoms between discharge and outpatient follow‐up.…”

Evaluation of Rescue Oral Glucocorticoid Therapy during Inpatient Cystic Fibrosis Exacerbation

“…A case report of four young patients under age six with no clinical improvement after IV antimicrobial therapy for APE showed dramatic improvement in respiratory distress and oxygen requirements after IV methylprednisolone burst (1 g/1.73 m 2 per day for 3 days) 18 . A study of 20 infants with APE demonstrated a statistically significant increase in forced expiratory flows after treatment with hydrocortisone in addition to standard therapy, with no significant increase in placebo treated group 19 . Additionally, several of the infants given placebo in this study, and none of the steroid-treated infants, had a recurrence in respiratory symptoms between discharge and outpatient follow up.…”

Characterization of Inpatient Cystic Fibrosis Pulmonary Exacerbations

“…Our data showed significant variability in systemic corticosteroid use for pulmonary exacerbations. A randomized, controlled trial in children evaluated IV hydrocortisone use as PEx adjunct therapy, and noted sustained improvement in lung function following hospitalization 17 , although a more recent randomized study of oral prednisone versus placebo in pulmonary exacerbations found no difference in lung function or markers of sputum inflammation between the groups 18 . The variability in prescribing patterns in our study likely reflects the dearth of published data on this subject.…”