AzTrials
AzTrials

AsthmaPhase 4NCT02780479

Steroids in Children Hospitalized With Asthma

A Phase 4 study testing Dexamethasone and Prednisone in people with Asthma and Status Asthmaticus, run by University of Florida at 1 site in United States.

Terminated

Stopped early. The study ended before it was planned to and will not resume.

Official record
Search all trials

Trial summary

Asthma is the most common chronic disease of children. A short (3-5 day) course of a short-acting steroid such as Prednisone or Prednisolone has long been the standard of care for asthma exacerbation. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 2 to 18 years
Conditions the study is for
Asthma, Status Asthmaticus, Wheezes
What is being tested?
Dexamethasone and Prednisone
Type of treatment
Pill or oral medicine
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
6 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
20 Mar 2017to 29 Aug 2017
Phase
Phase 4
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 2 to 18 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Child, Adult

Who may be able to join

  • Signed informed consent by legal guardian
  • Age 2 to 18 years old
  • Admission to the floor with acute asthma exacerbation.
  • Received single dose of oral Dexamethasone
  • Initial Pediatric Asthma Score (PAS) of 8 or higher.

Who cannot join

  • Admission to PICU
  • Recent steroid use (within 1 month)
  • Cardiac disorder, chronic respiratory illness (BPD or CF)
  • Stridor
  • Bacterial Pneumonia

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Wolfson Children Hospital

    Jacksonville, Florida, 32207

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Oral Dexamethasone Versus Oral Prednisone in Children Hospitalized With Asthma: A Randomized Control Study

Asthma is the most common chronic disease of children. A short (3-5 day) course of a short-acting steroid such as Prednisone or Prednisolone has long been the standard of care for asthma exacerbation. Dexamethasone efficacy in asthma exacerbation has been studied in the outpatient setting and was found to be as effective as Prednisone. Dexamethasone has the advantage of shorter course, more compliance, and more tolerable. This has led many emergency departments to provide a 1-2 dose course of Dexamethasone on discharge. Thus, many inpatients have received a first dose of Dexamethasone prior to reaching the inpatient unit, leading to confusion about the best plan for these patients. Many hospitalist pediatricians continue to give a 5-day total course with Prednisone, but some patients have begun to receive a second dose of Dexamethasone 24 hours after the first dose. To our knowledge, no studies have been done to compare the efficacy of these two protocols in pediatric patients requiring hospitalization. The hypothesis is that a second dose of Dexamethasone is as effective as four additional days of Prednisone in hospitalized children with asthma exacerbation. This is an open label, randomized control study comparing these treatments in children age 2-18 hospitalized with asthma exacerbation who have received a first dose of Dexamethasone.

Read the detailed description

Corticosteroids are the first-line therapy for managing acute asthma exacerbations. Studies have shown that systemic steroids effect decrease relapse and hospital admission. Due to its short half-life, Prednisone is usually given daily or twice daily for 3-5 days. It has been associated with poor compliance due it the prolonged course. Dexamethasone half-life is 36 - 72 hours.

Several studies have shown no difference in outcomes between 3-5 days of prednisone and different forms of dexamethasone, including single intramuscular dose or single oral dose or two oral doses 1 day apart. However, those studies were done in the emergency department (ED). Lack of response to initial asthma treatment in ED results in admission to the hospital, implying more severe exacerbation than those able to be discharged. Some clinician shift to oral prednisone once admitted to the floor for patients who have received Dexamethasone or not. Others have begin to complete the Dexamethasone course with one more dose of Dexamethasone 24 hour after the first dose. Dexamethasone has the advantage of compliance and tolerability, however, no studies investigated its efficacy in hospitalized patients. Such knowledge will improve patient's compliance and outcomes.

  • Sample size calculation: Primary outcome of return to normal activities within 3 days of discharge. Based on previous studies, it is estimated that 70% of the control group will achieve this goal. Based on a minimum absolute difference of 15%, and a power of 0.80, the sample size calculated to be 117 in each arm. Assuming 20% lost to follow up, it is intended to recruit 150 in each arm (total 300 subjects).
  • Statistical Analysis: Demographics will be analyzed to ensure the experimental and control groups are equivalent at baseline. All proportions will be tested with Chi-square or Fisher exact test and two-sample T-test will be used for continuous variables. α = 0.05 will be used for all hypothesis tests. Interim analysis will be performed monthly and the study will be halted if any safety concerns arise. The Center for Health Equity and Quality Research (CHEQR) will help with statistical analysis
  • Data Safety and Monitoring Plan: The study PI and co-investigator will meet and review the collected data on a monthly basis and identify any interim results that may require a change of study protocol. Information that may affect subjects' safety will be communicated to appropriate parties in a timely fashion.
Keywords
Prednisone, Dexamethasone, Asthma exacerbation, Hospitalized
Medical subject headings
Asthma, Status Asthmaticus, Respiratory Sounds

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • DexamethasoneDrug

    Also called Decadron

    at 24 hours from the first Dexamethasone dose given in ED.

  • PrednisoneDrug

    Also called Orapred

    at 24 hours from the first Dexamethasone dose given in ED.

Study groups in NCT02780479
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
DexamethasoneExperimentalDexamethasone arm: will receive second dose of oral Dexamethasone 0.6 mg/kg/dose max of 16 mg, 24 hour from the first dose given in emergency department.
Receives: Drug: Dexamethasone
PrednisoneActive comparatorPrednisone arm: will receive oral Prednisone 1mg/kg with max of 30 mg twice daily starting 24 hours after the Dexamethasone dose given in emergency department for 8 additional doses.
Receives: Drug: Prednisone

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Return to normal activity (Patient Self-Assessment Score)

    Proportion of patients who have returned to normal activity

    Measured: 3 days after discharge

Secondary outcomes (3)
  1. Relapse ( ED visit or unscheduled physician visit)

    Proportion of patients with unscheduled primary care physician visits, emergency department or hospital admission

    Measured: 2 weeks after discharge

  2. Albuterol use (Patient Self-Assessment Score)

    Proportion of patients with of ongoing albuterol use (based on validated self-reporting tool)

    Measured: 2 weeks after discharge

  3. Asthma symptoms (Patient Self-Assessment Score)

    Patient self assessment score at 2 weeks after discharge

    Measured: 2 weeks after discharge

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted23 May 2016 (estimated)
  2. Study start20 Mar 2017
  3. Primary completion29 Aug 2017
  4. Study completion29 Aug 2017

Why it stopped: insufficient number of participants met the enrollment criteria.

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 4
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
6 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT02780479
Sponsor's protocol ID
UFJ 2016-24
Status last verified
Jun 2019
First submitted
19 May 2016
Last updated
21 Jun 2019
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Undecided

Publications

  • National Asthma Education and Prevention Program. Expert Panel Report 3 (EPR-3): Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma-Summary Report 2007. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2007 Nov;120(5 Suppl):S94-138. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2007.09.043.

    PubMed 17983880
  • Keeney GE, Gray MP, Morrison AK, Levas MN, Kessler EA, Hill GD, Gorelick MH, Jackson JL. Dexamethasone for acute asthma exacerbations in children: a meta-analysis. Pediatrics. 2014 Mar;133(3):493-9. doi: 10.1542/peds.2013-2273. Epub 2014 Feb 10.

    PubMed 24515516
  • Qureshi F, Zaritsky A, Poirier MP. Comparative efficacy of oral dexamethasone versus oral prednisone in acute pediatric asthma. J Pediatr. 2001 Jul;139(1):20-6. doi: 10.1067/mpd.2001.115021.

    PubMed 11445789
  • Rowe BH, Spooner CH, Ducharme FM, Bretzlaff JA, Bota GW. Corticosteroids for preventing relapse following acute exacerbations of asthma. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2007 Jul 18;2007(3):CD000195. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD000195.pub2.

    PubMed 17636617
  • Butler K, Cooper WO. Adherence of pediatric asthma patients with oral corticosteroid prescriptions following pediatric emergency department visit or hospitalization. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2004 Nov;20(11):730-5. doi: 10.1097/01.pec.0000144914.78124.6f.

    PubMed 15502653
  • Czock D, Keller F, Rasche FM, Haussler U. Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of systemically administered glucocorticoids. Clin Pharmacokinet. 2005;44(1):61-98. doi: 10.2165/00003088-200544010-00003.

    PubMed 15634032
  • Gries DM, Moffitt DR, Pulos E, Carter ER. A single dose of intramuscularly administered dexamethasone acetate is as effective as oral prednisone to treat asthma exacerbations in young children. J Pediatr. 2000 Mar;136(3):298-303. doi: 10.1067/mpd.2000.103353.

    PubMed 10700684
  • Klig JE, Hodge D 3rd, Rutherford MW. Symptomatic improvement following emergency department management of asthma: a pilot study of intramuscular dexamethasone versus oral prednisone. J Asthma. 1997;34(5):419-25. doi: 10.3109/02770909709055384.

    PubMed 9350159
  • Gordon S, Tompkins T, Dayan PS. Randomized trial of single-dose intramuscular dexamethasone compared with prednisolone for children with acute asthma. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2007 Aug;23(8):521-7. doi: 10.1097/PEC.0b013e318128f821.

    PubMed 17726409
  • Altamimi S, Robertson G, Jastaniah W, Davey A, Dehghani N, Chen R, Leung K, Colbourne M. Single-dose oral dexamethasone in the emergency management of children with exacerbations of mild to moderate asthma. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2006 Dec;22(12):786-93. doi: 10.1097/01.pec.0000248683.09895.08.

    PubMed 17198210
  • Greenberg RA, Kerby G, Roosevelt GE. A comparison of oral dexamethasone with oral prednisone in pediatric asthma exacerbations treated in the emergency department. Clin Pediatr (Phila). 2008 Oct;47(8):817-23. doi: 10.1177/0009922808316988. Epub 2008 May 8.

    PubMed 18467673
  • National Asthma Education and Prevention Program. National Asthma Education and Prevention Program. Expert Panel Report: Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma Update on Selected Topics--2002. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2002 Nov;110(5 Suppl):S141-219. No abstract available.

    PubMed 12542074

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 4 study testing Dexamethasone and Prednisone in people with Asthma and Status Asthmaticus, run by University of Florida at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 5 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: stopped early, as of the sponsor's last update on 21 Jun 2019. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 4 studies take place after a treatment is approved, to learn more about its long-term benefits and risks in everyday use.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

The study was stopped early (reason given: insufficient number of participants met the enrollment criteria.). Results are not available in the source record.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Return to normal activity (Patient Self-Assessment Score) (time frame: 3 days after discharge). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT02780479, which also lists 12 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 21 Jun 2019.

Free account

Log in to keep searching

You’ve used your 3 free searches. AzTrials is free: log in or create a free account to keep searching clinical trials and save the ones you want to follow.

Create a free accountLog in