Formulation matters: safe oral hydrocortisone use in children

摘要

Hydrocortisone is a corticosteroid that is essential for the management of adrenal insuciency, severe acute asthma and acute hypersensitivity reactions in paediatrics 1 . Careful dosing is required to avoid serious adverse effects and toxicity; however, long-term use poses several challenges for healthcare professionals and patients, particularly in relation to the choice of formulation and ease of administration of appropriate doses. There are four oral formulations of hydrocortisone available in the UK.