Asthma drugs may stunt children’s growth

Corticosteroid drugs given via inhalers to children with asthma may suppress their growth, according to two systematic reviews of scientific studies on the issue.

Health experts who conducted the review and published it in The Cochrane Library journal found that children’s growth slowed in the first year of treatment, although the effects were minimised by using lower doses.

Steroid-containing inhalers are prescribed as first-line treatments for adults and children with persistent asthma.