title: Inhaled corticosteroid treatment and growth of asthmatic children seen at outpatient clinics.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Mestranda em Ciências Médicas: Pediatria, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brasil.
authors.forename: Elisete E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Arend
authors.forename: Gilberto B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.forename: Márcio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Debiasi
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schmid
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones