Growth and bone density in children with mild-moderate asthma: a cross-sectional study in children entering the Childhood Asthma Management Program (CAMP).
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.
Kelly
H William
HW
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
Strunk
Robert C
RC
Donithan
Michele
M
Bloomberg
Gordon R
GR
McWilliams
Bennie C
BC
Szefler
Stanley
S
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
D005938:Glucocorticoids