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Asthma - Management
What do I need to know when prescribing a short course of oral corticosteroids?
- Adverse effects are uncommon with infrequent, short courses of oral corticosteroids.
- Table 1 in Managing people not needing admission shows the dose of oral prednisolone recommended in an acute exacerbation of asthma:
- In adults, oral corticosteroids should be continued for at least 5 days, until recovery.
- In children, oral corticosteroids should be continued for at least 3 days, until recovery.
- Prescribe soluble prednisolone tablets for children who cannot swallow tablets.
- Repeat the dose of prednisolone in children who vomit.
- After recovery from the acute exacerbation, therapy with prednisolone can be stopped abruptly, without tapering the dose, unless the course was longer than 3 weeks or the person was previously receiving maintenance oral corticosteroid treatment.
[SIGN and BTS, 2009]
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