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Inhaled corticosteroid for childhood asthma may affect adult height
Brief Description
An NIH-funded study has found potential small effect on growth rate among those who use inhaled corticosteroids for asthma.
Transcript
Akinso: Adults who had been treated with inhaled corticosteroids as part of an asthma children's clinical study were on average shorter than their study counterparts who weren't treated with the corticosteroids. Dr. William Kelly, the lead study researcher, describes the difference in height.
Kelly: At the end of the study, which was four to six years that they were in the actual treatment part of the study, the difference was 1.1 centimeters between the budesonide the inhaled corticosteroid group and the placebo group.
Akinso: These findings come from continued follow-up of over 1,000 participants in the Childhood Asthma Management Program also known as CAMP. In the original study participants were between 5 and 12 years old when enrolled between 1993 and 1995. Dr. Kelly says that the study compared the effects of daily therapies.
Kelly: The CAMP study was a treatment trial comparing budesonide, which was an inhaled corticosteroid with a non steroid anti-inflammatory nedocromil, which is no longer available on the market, and placebo. The whole idea of the study was to see whether or not anti-inflammatory therapy could improve lung growth in children.
Akinso: For this follow-up study, the researchers re-recruited the original participants and tracked their height, weight and lung function every year for 12 more years, to an average participant age of 25. Dr. Kelly explains what was found when comparing the original to the follow up study.
Kelly: What we found is that at the end of the follow-up which was another 12 or 16 years that basically the 1.1 centimeter decrease in growth that occurred during the study remained and showed up in adulthood as well.
Akinso: These follow-up results confirmed that the effect on height during the initial treatment did not progress and was not cumulative, but it did persist to adulthood. Researchers add that while this effect on height is a noteworthy finding, it must be considered in the larger context that many studies have proven the superior benefits of inhaled corticosteroids on improving asthma control and preventing exacerbations in children. The researchers also found that the height effect was dependent on medication dosage, as higher daily doses of the inhaled corticosteroid per weight of the child were associated with lower adult height. For more information on this study, visit www.nhlbi.nih.gov. For NIH Radio, this is Wally Akinso — NIH… Turning Discovery into Health®. – NIH Turning Discovery Into Health®.
About This Audio Report
Date: 12/13/2012
Reporter: Wally Akinso
Sound Bite: Dr. William Kelly
Topic: Lung, asthma, height, adults, corticosteroids, steroids, inhaler, budesonide, nedocromil
Institute(s): NHLBI
Additional Info:
Inhaled corticosteroids for childhood asthma may affect adult height
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