Health & Medicine
Asthma: Asthma Medicine Results In Stunted Growth
Kathleen Lees
First Posted: Oct 05, 2015 04:07 PM EDT
Findings presented at the 54th Annual European Society for Pediatric Endocrinology reveal that infants given asthma medication during the first two years of life are more likely to have stunted growth.
Researchers at both Kuopio University Hospital and University of Eastern Finland discovered that infants who used inhaled corticosteroids, otherwise known as medications used to treat conditions certain inflammatory conditions, including asthma, were shorter than others their age. Furthermore, researchers discovered that this result was more common among those taking the asthma medicine budesonide over a six-month-period.
"Previously, the impact of corticosteroids on growth was looked at in older children and was thought to alter growth only temporarily," Dr. Antti Saari, lead author of the study, said via WebMD. "However, studies on inhaled corticosteroid use in infants are practically lacking and thus this has been questioned in the recent study. Our research shows a link between long-term treatment of ICS during infancy and stunted growth at or after the age of 2 in otherwise healthy children."
For this recent study, the researchers collected information regarding the height, weight and asthma medicine intake on more than 12,000 Finnish children ranging in age from 0-24 months.
"According to our research, we could only assess the impact of inhaled corticosteroids on growth in infancy until 2 to 3 years of age. The longitudinal impact of these medications is not clear and we would therefore like to investigate this further," Saari added.
Next, researchers are hoping to dtermine how inhaled corticosteroids affect the growth of older children by observing them for longer periods of time.
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TagsHealth, Human, Asthma, Growth, medicine, Medication, Children, Infants, Height, Weight, Stunted, 54th Annual European Society for Pediatric Endocrinology ©2024 ScienceWorldReport.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The window to the world of science news.
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First Posted: Oct 05, 2015 04:07 PM EDT
Findings presented at the 54th Annual European Society for Pediatric Endocrinology reveal that infants given asthma medication during the first two years of life are more likely to have stunted growth.
Researchers at both Kuopio University Hospital and University of Eastern Finland discovered that infants who used inhaled corticosteroids, otherwise known as medications used to treat conditions certain inflammatory conditions, including asthma, were shorter than others their age. Furthermore, researchers discovered that this result was more common among those taking the asthma medicine budesonide over a six-month-period.
"Previously, the impact of corticosteroids on growth was looked at in older children and was thought to alter growth only temporarily," Dr. Antti Saari, lead author of the study, said via WebMD. "However, studies on inhaled corticosteroid use in infants are practically lacking and thus this has been questioned in the recent study. Our research shows a link between long-term treatment of ICS during infancy and stunted growth at or after the age of 2 in otherwise healthy children."
For this recent study, the researchers collected information regarding the height, weight and asthma medicine intake on more than 12,000 Finnish children ranging in age from 0-24 months.
"According to our research, we could only assess the impact of inhaled corticosteroids on growth in infancy until 2 to 3 years of age. The longitudinal impact of these medications is not clear and we would therefore like to investigate this further," Saari added.
Next, researchers are hoping to dtermine how inhaled corticosteroids affect the growth of older children by observing them for longer periods of time.
Related Articles
Could A Psychedelic Drug Prevent Asthma?
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone