Inclusion criteria: | · Ages 2 to 16 years |
---|---|
· Background history of asthma (as defined below) | |
· Presentation with an asthma exacerbation (as defined below) | |
Exclusion Criteria: | · Less than 2 years old or over 16 years |
· Critical or life-threatening asthma (as defined below) | |
· Known TB exposure | |
· Active varicella or herpes simplex infection | |
· Documented concurrent infection with RSV | |
· Fever >39.5°C | |
· Use of oral corticosteroids in the previous four weeks | |
· Concurrent stridor | |
· Galactose intolerance, the Lapp-lactase deficiency or glucose-galactose malabsorption | |
· Significant co-morbid disease: lung, cardiac, immune, liver, endocrine, neurological or psychiatric |