Bethesda, Maryland – Two new studies show that corticosteroids, found in asthma medication can impede children’s growth rate.
Health Risk in Inhalers
People with asthma make use of an urgent care near me solution through inhalers. However, two new reviews show that inhalers contain drugs called corticosteroids that are inhaled by people with asthma. The studies involved inhaled corticosteroids that appear to suppress children’s growth rate. The findings ignited significant concerns among physicians and parents since the majority of asthma medication consumers is children.
CDC Findings on Asthma
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that asthma widely occurs in the US. It is a chronic lung condition that affects about 25 million individuals, a percentage of 1 out of 12. The percentage is higher among children compared to adults, wherein 9.3% of children are believed to have asthma, and are brought to urgent care clinics every now and then. The condition certainly called for an urgent care and action plan from corresponding agencies.
Long-term Medication
Inhaled Corticosteroids (ICS) is considered as a long-term medication in controlling asthma. This was stated by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). ICS is also considered to be the most effective medication in treating the airways inflammation and contraction caused by asthma. Moreover, NHLBI states that young children who develop respiratory infections are the most prone of having asthma and would require asthma medication. The same group is most likely to need ICS and is the most affected by the side effects of growth suppressants.
Growth Linked to ICS
The systematic reviews on ICS were published in The Cochrane Library. In one review, the authors focused on the ICS effects on growth rates compared with placebos or non-steroidal drugs, while the other review focused on investigating the different dose levels in an urgent care clinic. The first review involved 25 trials and 8,471 children with mild to moderate asthma. Fourteen out of the 25 trials involved 5,717 children that measured their growth after a year. The majority of the ICS used was tested, and the results suggested that growth was suppressed when measured against non-steroidal drugs. The average rate of growth in the controlled groups was recorded in 6-9cm every year, while the rate of growth in the group receiving ICS was recorded at 0.5cm. The second review involved 22 trials along with asthmatic children who are taking low to medium ICS doses. Overall, the reviews suggested that participants who take the lowest dose of ICS as an asthma medication have improved growth by 0.25cm every year.
