Funding outcome

Asthma is the most common chronic disease of childhood. Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are the main treatment. Adrenal insufficiency (AI) is a rare but serious side effect where steroid medications, including ICS, suppress the body's ability to produce an essential stress hormone, cortisol. Adrenal insufficiency due to ICS use can present with a variety of symptoms, including life-threatening emergencies. It is highly under-recognized, which is highlighted by emerging findings that ICS types and doses that were previously thought to be safe carry risks of AI. This project aims to update current knowledge on AI secondary to ICS use in children with asthma. This will be achieved by performing a systematic review of existing literature, in which published information will be collated and interpreted to provide clarity on AI risk and guidance on screening. The results from this study will be submitted for publication in a journal targeting the wider scientific and medical community. As well, the results from the systematic review will be used to develop practical tools for physicians and patients/families, regarding the risk of AI, signs and symptoms suggestive of AI, and when to seek help, with assistance from Knowledge Translation/ Learning Health Systems experts.