According to new research, long-term use of a form of medication commonly prescribed to treat symptoms of asthma – inhaled corticosteroids – could lead to a reduced rate of growth in development for infants given the medication during their first 2 years of life.
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The latest guidelines for Global Positioning System indicate that children who take inhaled corticosteroids should have their height and weight monitored regularly for any sign of stunted growth following the findings.
The study was made accessible at the 54th annual meeting of European Society for Pediatric Endocrinology Meeting in Barcelona, Spain.
The study indicates there may be a link between the use of inhaled corticosteroids during infancy and shorter heights in adulthood.
It said the benefit of inhaled corticosteroids in controlling persistent asthma had been long known and remained the cornerstone of asthma treatment.
“Parents may be concerned about using controller medication, but the dangers of stopping taking asthma medication as prescribed by their doctor far outweigh the possible effect on growth”, a society spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said it was important parents took their child to their GP at least once a year to have a structured asthma review.
However, it was stated by Asthma United Kingdom that corticosteroid inhalers played a crucial role in containing the asthma symptoms and reducing the frequency of trips to the hospitals for the infants. It’s used amongst adults and generally amongst infants to deal with bronchial asthma like circumstances. In the United Kingdom, a few 10% children suffer from asthma, and that makes it the most common form of long-term ailments in children. In young pre-school children who wheeze, it is uncertain which ones among them should be aimed with steroids.
Experts said the study was a reminder that steroids should be used with caution in pre-school children. He went on to add that it has not been determined as to who responded to the steroid treatment in the study group.
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“Previously, the impact of corticosteroids on growth was looked at in older children and was thought to alter growth only temporarily”, reports Dr. Saari. The impact was stronger on children who were given asthma medication for more than six months. In 2012, a study reported in the New England Journal of medicine has produced the same conclusion as the recent Finland research.
