ORIGINAL ARTICLES   

Minerva Pediatrica 2008 April;60(2):163-8

Copyright © 2008 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: Italian

Fluticasone in the therapy of asthmatic children: short-term effects on growth

Bozzola E., Meazza C., Prodam F., Bona G., Bozzola M.

¹ Dipartimento di Scienze Pediatriche Fondazione IRCCS San Matteo, Pavia, Italia 2 Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche Università del Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italia

Aim. Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), for years used in the therapy of low-moderate bronchial asthma, reduce the rate of asthmatic attack with improved pulmonary functioning and quality of life. Clinical trials have been addressed mainly to study the efficacy rather than the safety of drugs, so that the side effects of these drugs have not yet been accurately defined. Clinical experience shows that growth delay appears in the first months of therapy with ICS. The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of the therapy with spacer-administered inhaled corticosteroid on short-term auxological development in prepubertal children.
Methods. In a group of children with low asthma, height and weight have been evaluated before and after six months of inhaled therapy with dipropionate fluticasone at a dose of 100 mg per day.
Results. Twenty-five patients (19 males and 6 females; age 5.5±1.6 years; range: 2.6-7.8 years) showed a regular growth during the six months of therapy (mean height 0.8 standard deviation score [SDS] before therapy and 0.8 SDS after therapy), while 21 (17 males and 4 females; age 10.0±1.5 years; range 8.0-12.7 years) showed an increment of growth rate (mean height from 0.5 SDS to 0.7 SDS, respectively).
Conclusion. Spacer-administered low dose fluticasone does not negatively influence short-term growth rate, regardless of the age of the patients.