Conditions: Croup
Keywords: croup recurrent croup barky cough
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 10
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
Presently children who experience recurring croup symptoms receive a variety of treatments. This is because it is not clear which treatments may be best. Some children are given inhaled steroids (similar to what children with asthma use). Others are carefully watched and cautioned to avoid potential triggers (certain foods, environmental allergens, etc), and should episodes of croup recur they are treated with a short course of oral steroids. The purpose of this study is to compare two safe and clinically appropriate methods for treating recurrent croup, daily inhaled steroids versus observation with oral steroids on an as needed basis, to see if either is useful in preventing future episodes of croup.

Detailed description:

Arms:
arm 1: Daily inhaled steroids. Fluticasone 2 puffs inhaled orally twice daily for six months. arm 2: Patient and clinician observation with short term oral prednisolone as needed. Offered at 1mg/kg (body weight) daily dosing for symptomatic treatment on as needed basis for three days, but may be modified per managing physician's discretion.

Interventions: intervention 1: Fluticasone intervention 2: Prednisolone IF needed
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Daily inhaled steroids. Fluticasone 2 puffs inhaled orally twice daily for six months. intervention 2: None

Protocol document: