Inhaled corticosteroid treatment and growth of asthmatic children seen at outpatient clinics.
OBJECTIVE
To ascertain the effect of inhaled corticosteroid use on gain in height and weight of asthmatic pediatric outpatients.


METHODS
A one-year prospective cohort study was carried out with 124 asthmatic children aged 3 to 16 years who were prescribed inhaled corticosteroids for at least 12 months, evaluating z-scores for height/age, weight/age, body mass index and parental target height for current age. Exclusion criteria were: birth weight less than 2,500 g, malnutrition, chronic diseases and systemic corticoid use for more than 7 consecutive days.


RESULTS
The mean +/- standard deviation for z-scores for initial and final height/age were 0.06+/-1.2 and 0.01+/-1.2 (95%CI 0.05-0.11), respectively; for initial and final weight/age z-scores they were 0.6+/-1.5 and 0.5+/-1.5 (95%CI 1.84-6.6), respectively. These figures did not differ significantly (p = 0.199 and p = 0.808). There was also no loss in stature when children were stratified into well and poorly controlled asthma or into pubescent and non-pubescent groups.


CONCLUSIONS
In comparison with the NCHS (National Center for Health Statistics) growth curves, there was no compromise to the height or body weight of children/adolescents using inhaled corticosteroids for more than 1 year at the doses recommended for asthma prevention.
Arend
Elisete E
EE
Mestranda em Ciências Médicas: Pediatria, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brasil.
Fischer
Gilberto B
GB
Debiasi
Márcio
M
Schmid
Helena
H
D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D000293:Adolescent; D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001827:Body Height / Q000187:drug effects; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006128:Growth / Q000187:drug effects*; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies
D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones