title: Pharmacokinetics of dexamethasone in children.
abstract: A pharmacokinetic data analysis of plasma level data for dexamethasone obtained from children with various diseases and healthy adults was performed. A total of 33 subjects participated in the study. The results show: The pharmacokinetics of dexamethasone can be described satisfactorily within the frame of classic linear pharmacokinetic theory. The variance of important pharmacokinetic parameters is large. Therefore, if a close relationship between drug levels and therapeutic and adverse effects exists, which still has to be proved, optimal individual dosage regimens have to be calculated, guided by drug-level monitoring. When treating newborns, one should be aware that high drug levels are likely to occur, possibly necessitating a dose reduction.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000188:drug therapy; D003440:Croup / Q000188:drug therapy; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007427:Intracranial Pressure; D007700:Kinetics; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D003907:Dexamethasone