Adverse Events Following Short-Course Systemic Corticosteroids Among Children and Adolescents

What adverse events are associated with the use of systemic corticosteroids for 14 days or less in children and adolescents?This systematic review and meta-analysis including 45 eligible trials involving 6470 children and adolescents found with moderate quality of evidence that corticosteroids were associated with an increased risk of hyperglycemia and sleep disturbance. Corticosteroids were also associated with increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding, but the quality of evidence was low.These findings suggest that an individualized approach to short-term corticosteroid use in children and adolescents may be warranted and that further research is needed to obtain better quality of evidence.

Corresponding Author: João Pedro Lima, MD, Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University Medical Centre, 2C Area, 1280 Main St W, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada (limaj1@mcmaster.ca).

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