Table 3—

Effect of corticosteroid treatment of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) bronchiolitis on the risk of subsequent wheezing; outcome in placebo-controlled studies

First author [ref. no.]	Design	Patients active treatment/patients	RSV positive %	Age at enrolment, mean/median months	Treatment	Follow-up time	Result at time of follow-up
Studies not demonstrating no effect at time of follow-up
Blow 21	RCT	73/74	100	5.5	Oral prednisolone for 5 days	1 yr	No effect of the treatment
van Woensel 102	RCT	24/23	100	3.6	Oral prednisolone acutely for 7 days	5 yrs	No significant difference in transient, persistent or late-onest wheezing, 8% versus 17%, 42% versus 31% and 17% versus 13%^#
Cade 24	RCT	82/79	100	4	Nebulized budesonide until 2 weeks after discharge	1 yr	No long-term benefits of the active teatment
Richter 20	RCT	21/19	83	3.5	Nebulized budesonide for 6 weeks	6 months	No prevention of postbronchiolitic wheezing
Fox 103	RCT	25/24	65	2.5	Inhaled budesonide for 8 weeks	1 yr	Treated infants did not have less postbronchiolitic wheezing
Reijonen 104	RCT	31/28	26	10.6	Nebulized budesonide for 4 months	1 yr	The treatment did not significantly decrease occurrence of asthma 1 yr later
Reijonen 105	RCT	31/29	26	10.6	Nebulized budesonide for 4 months	3 yr	Nebulized corticosteroids for 4 months had no influence on the occurrence of asthma 3 yrs later
Studies demonstrating positive effect at time of follow-up
Kajosaari 106	RCT	71/38	100	2.6	Nebulized budesonide for 7 days or 2 months	2 yrs	Fewer treated children on continuous asthma medication
Carlsen 107	RCT	22/22	No percentage given	15.7	Nebulized BDP for 8 weeks	14 weeks	Fewer obstructive symptoms during the follow-up period
Reijonen 89	RCT	31/30	26	10.6	Nebulized budesonide for 4 months	Weeks 9–16	Treated children had fewer wheezing episodes and hospital admissions. Particularly children with atopy benefited.

RCT: randomized controlled trial
BDP: beclomethasone diproprionate
^#: active versus placebo