The unfavourable effects of glucocorticoids during viral infections have received increasing attention. For example, steroids have been found to increase the risk of acute otitis media during rhinovirus infections in children (13). In adults glucocorticoids have increased the titers of rhinovirus and the shedding of the virus from the pharynx (14, 15). It may be possible that glucocorticoids increase the severity of some viral respiratory tract infections.