title: [Body mass index in asthmatic children before and after one year inhaled glucocorticosteroids therapy BMI].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Asthma is the most frequent children's disease, with a tendency of further growth. Bearing in mind controversial data on obesity of asthmatic children and a possible effect of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) on children's growth, the aim of our study was to determine the body mass index (BMI) in asthmatic children at the beginning of the therapy and to study the effect of the continuous application of ICS on growth and BMI during the period of 1 year.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 100 children aged 7 to 18 diagnosed to have partly controlled and uncontrolled allergic asthma, who were continuously given ICS as a prevention against asthma attacks at Pediatric Clinic of the Clinical Center in Kragujevac for the period of 1 year. Children with BMI < p10 by their age and gender were considered to be underweight, children with p10-84 as of normal weight, children with p85-97 as overweight and children with BMI > p97 as obese.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The highest percentage of children with asthma was within normal parameters (70%), 10% of the children were underweight (boys: n = 8/60, 13.3% vs. girls: n = 2/40, 5%), and 18% were overweight/obese. Monovariable analysis of variant with repeated measurements have shown a statistically significant difference in the height of children in all age groups after a year of continuous therapy of ICS (p = 0.000), except in girls aged 15-18, who did not show any significant difference in body height after the therapy (p > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Asthmatic children with partly controlled and uncontrolled asthma have mostly normal BMI and ICS can be safely administered in asthmatic children.
authors.affiliation: Klinicki centar Kragujevac, Klinika za pedijatriju. koleg@sbb.co.rs
authors.forename: Gordana
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kostić
authors.forename: Nevenka
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ilić
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Petrović
authors.forename: Slavica
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marković
authors.forename: Biljana
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vuletić
authors.forename: Zoran
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Igrutinović
mesh_terms: D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D000293:Adolescent; D000886:Anthropometry; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status
chemical_list: D005938:Glucocorticoids