New Study Reveals Asthma Drugs May Suppress a Child's Growth

Could asthma drugs suppress a child's growth? Scientists have found that corticosteroid drugs that are given by inhalers to children may actually do just that. Scientists have conducted two new systematic reveals that focus on the effects of the drugs on growth rates.

Inhaled corticosteroids are prescribed as first-line treatments for both adults and children with persistent asthma. That's because they're the most efficient drugs for controlling the condition and reduce the number of deaths due to asthma. Yet their potential effect on growth of children is a source of worry for both parents and doctors; that's why scientists decided to take a closer look at their effects.

The researchers first focused on 25 trials involving 8,471 children up to 18 years of age with mild to moderate persistent asthma. These trials tested all available inhaled corticosteroids except triamcinolone. It turns out that, as a group, they suppressed growth rates when compared to placebos or non-steroidal drugs. In fact, growth was reduced about .5 cm per year.

The scientists then reviewed data from 22 trials in which children were treated with low or medium doses of inhaled corticosteroids, except for triamcinolone and flunisolide. In the end, they found growth suppression varied across studies, which could be due to the drugs used.

"The evidence we reviewed suggests that children treated daily with inhaled corticosteroids may growth approximately half a centimeter less during the first year of treatment," said Linjie Zhang, the lead author of the review, in a news release. "But this effect is less pronounced in subsequent years, is not cumulative, and seems minor compared to the known benefits of the drugs for controlling asthma and ensuring full lung growth."

The findings reveal that while there may be some growth suppression, it's minor and shouldn't prevent children with asthma from using drugs. That said, the scientists also point out that more long-term trials and trials comparing different doses are needed in order to determine the full impacts.

The findings are published in the journal The Cochrane Library.