Reply

We thank Dr Weinberger for his thoughts regarding our commentary. As he notes, there are limitations to the literature to date including a high rate of wheeze resolution in preschoolers with milder symptoms. We agree with Dr Weinberger's comment that preschool-age children have high hospitalization rates for asthma and that a “strong case” can be made for oral corticosteroid use in children at risk of either an emergency department visit or hospitalization. In our commentary we recommend use of oral corticosteroid therapy in those preschoolers at high risk of a more severe exacerbation (such as those with a history o f atopy or recurrent wheeze episodes).
Source: The Journal of Pediatrics - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Letters to the Editor Source Type: research