• Suzanne Schuh, Andrew R Willan, Derek Stephens, Paul T Dick, and Allan Coates.
• Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. suzanne.schuh@sickkids.ca
• J. Pediatr. 2009 Dec 1;155(6):795-800.

ObjectiveTo examine whether outpatient post-stabilization therapy with montelukast produces more treatment failures than prednisolone.Study DesignIn this randomized, double-blind, double-dummy non-inferiority trial, 130 children 2 to 17 years of age with mild to moderate acute asthma stabilized with prednisolone in the emergency department received 5 daily treatments with either prednisolone or montelukast after discharge. The primary outcome was treatment failure within 8 days (ie, an asthma-related unscheduled visit, hospitalization, or additional systemic corticosteroids).ResultsThe rates of treatment failure were 7.9% in the prednisolone group and 22.4% in the montelukast group (95% CI, 26.5%-2.4%). Treatment was more likely to fail in younger patients (odds ratio, 4.9). In the montelukast group, more patients received additional pharmacotherapy than in patients receiving prednisolone (23.9% versus 9.5%, P = .03). The differences in the daily salbutamol treatments, asymptomatic days, and changes in the Pediatric Respiratory Assessment Measure score were not significant (P = .85, .75, and .26, respectively).ConclusionMontelukast does not represent an adequate alternative to corticosteroids after outpatient stabilization in mild to moderate acute asthma. This population should receive oral corticosteroids after discharge.

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