Betamethasone 17-valerate in childhood asthma. A double-blind crossover trial in children not taking other corticosteroid therapy.

A double-blind crossover trial of Betamethasone 17-Valerate steroid aerosol compared with placebo was carried out on 18 children with severe intermittent or chronic asthma. Seventeen of the 18 children showed a clinically obvious improvement on the active drug. The remaining child was unable to use the inhaler properly. In 14 children the response was dramatic. Improvement was shown at home by a reduction in the number of asthmatic symptoms, improvement in twice daily peak flow rates and by a lowered intake of sympathomimetic tablets. At monthly clinic visits, improvement was shown by chest examination, weight gain and by detailed respiratory function tests. By each of these criteria for improvement the benefit of Betamethasone 17-Valerate over the placebo was highly significant. There were no side effects attributable to the therapy and no evidence, as judged by short tetracosactrin tests, of adrenal suppression resulting from the drug. Betamethasone 17-Valerate appears to be a safe and effective therapy in children with severe asthma.