Dexamethasone in laryngeal diphtheritic croup.

Eighteen children diagnosed as having laryngeal diphtheria with various degrees of respiratory obstruction were treated with intravenous dexamethasone in addition to penicillin and anti-diphtheritic serum. Reduction in the severity of laryngeal obstruction was assessed 12-hourly. Eleven of 12 children with mild-to-moderate obstruction responded within 24 hours. The 12th child died of toxaemia and renal failure following tracheostomy. Four of six with severe obstruction also responded within 24 hours. The remaining two underwent tracheostomy, one of whom died. Dexamethasone appears to have a role to play in obviating tracheostomy in laryngeal diphtheria.