Short-term growth in asthmatic children using fluticasone propionate.

BACKGROUND

Inhaled corticosteroids may reduce short-term growth velocity in asthmatic children and knemometry is the most sensitive tool to detect this short-term growth suppression.

STUDY OBJECTIVE

To compare lower leg growth velocity, as measured by knemometry, in asthmatic children during and after treatment with inhaled fluticasone propionate (FP), 100 microg twice daily.

DESIGN

Nonrandomized open trial.

SETTING

University hospital, outpatient clinic for pediatric pulmonology.

PATIENTS

Twenty-one asthmatic children (13 boys), aged 6 to 10 years.

INTERVENTIONS

Inhalation of FP from a dry powder inhaler, 100 microg, twice daily for 6 weeks, followed by 2 weeks during which only an inhaled beta2-agonist was used on demand (washout). During treatment and washout periods, patients were seen every 2 weeks at the same time of day.

MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS

Lower leg growth velocity measured by knemometry during FP treatment was not significantly different from that during washout (p=0.33, one-way analysis of variance).

CONCLUSIONS

No significant suppression of lower leg growth velocity was found in prepubertal asthmatic children using FP, 100 microg, by dry powder inhaler twice daily for 6 weeks.