title: Growth and bone density in children with mild-moderate asthma: a cross-sectional study in children entering the Childhood Asthma Management Program (CAMP).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We sought to determine whether mild-moderate persistent asthma sufficient to produce a decrease in baseline lung function is associated with an adverse effect on growth and bone mineral density (BMD) in children.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross-sectional study of 1041 children, 5 to 12 years old (32% ethnic/racial minorities and 40% female), enrolled into the Childhood Asthma Management Program (CAMP). Measures of asthma severity included: Spirometry; bronchial hyperresponsiveness; duration of asthma symptoms; and symptom-based assessment of severity. Multiple regression analyses were used to relate the asthma severity on the primary outcome variables: Height by stadiometry and BMD by dual energy radiographic absorptiometry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean +/- SD height percentile was 56.0 +/- 28.5 percentile for the population. The only significant relationship between asthma severity and height percentile was with methacholine bronchoprovocation in girls (beta 2.98, P =.019, covariate multiple regression). The mean +/- SD BMD was 0.65 +/- 0.10 g/cm(2) for the population. The past use of corticosteroids did not adversely affect either growth or BMD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found that mild-moderate asthma of as long as 4 to 7 years duration in children does not produce an adverse effect on linear growth or BMD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, and the College of Pharmacy, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131-5311, USA. hwkelly@unm.edu
authors.forename: H William
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.forename: Robert C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Strunk
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Donithan
authors.forename: Gordon R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Bloomberg
authors.forename: Bennie C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: McWilliams
authors.forename: Stanley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Szefler
mesh_terms: D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015519:Bone Density; D001846:Bone Development; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014797:Vital Capacity
chemical_list: D005938:Glucocorticoids