Frontlight ResearchEarly access
CompletedPhase 3
Dexamethasone Treatment for OSA in Children
Key facts
- Who runs it
- The Hospital for Sick Children
- Where
- Canada1 site in 1 countryChoose a country to see its sites
- Trial code
- Status
- Completed
- Phase
- Phase 3
- People taking part
- 10 people enrolled
- Started
- 26 Oct 2022
- Ended
- 30 Dec 2025
- Type of study
- Interventional, 2 groupsOne group gets a placebo (a dummy treatment), for comparison.
- Treatments tested
- Dexamethasone
- Placebo Control
- Record updated
- 12 May 2026
Who can take part
- Age
- 2 years to 10 years
- Sex
- Women and men
- Healthy volunteers
- Cannot take part
The registry criteria, word for word
Show all 16 criteriaShow less
Who can take part
- Polysomnogram diagnosed with moderate to severe Obstructive sleep apnea (OAHI >5 events/hour)
- Aged 2-10 years
- Presence of adenotonsillar hypertrophy
- Ability to take oral medication and be willing to adhere to the dosing regimen
- Informed consent provided in accordance with institutional policies
Who cannot take part
- Previous adenotonsillectomy
- Contraindication for dexamethasone or components of dexamethasone oral suspension,
- Treatment with nasal or systemic corticosteroids within 4 weeks prior to the intervention
- Presence of symptoms of an upper respiratory tract infection
- Hypertension
- Need for non-invasive ventilation long-term due to underlying disease
- Current systemic fungal infections
- Prior or current evidence for abnormal glucose tolerance
- Co-existing central sleep apnea
- OSA with associated oxygen desaturations <90% for 2 continuous minutes
- Patients with clinically relevant varicella exposure
This trial has no sites in United States.
It has sites in one country. Choose a country to see its sites.
About the trial
What the trial wants to find out
This is a double-blinded clinical trial of children diagnosed with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) on a baseline polysomnogram (PSG). Participants will receive a 3-day course of dexamethasone, an oral steroid, or placebo control and undergo two PSGs to assess the efficacy of dexamethasone, as a treatment to manage the severity and symptoms in children with moderate to severe OSA.
The 2 groups in the trial
- Dexamethasone TreatmentTreatment being tested
Oral Dexamethasone treatment
Treatment: Dexamethasone
- Placebo TreatmentPlacebo, for comparison
Placebo control
Treatment: Placebo Control
Data and sources
- Registry record
- Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
- Official title
- Dexamethasone as a Novel Treatment for Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Children
- Record updated
- 12 May 2026