Study of the influence of steroid treatment upon growth in childhood IgA nephropathy.

Abstract

 This study investigated the side effects of steroid treatment on childhood IgA nephropathy.
 Forty-eight children with IgA nephropathy (IgAN) were retrospectively examined, and their heights, weights, and bone mineral densities before and 2 years after steroid treatment were compared. Mean patient age at the beginning of the treatment was 11.8y.
 The SD of height was significantly decreased from an average of 0.229±1.124 to -0.116±1.109 (p<0.05), and the obesity index was significantly increased from -0.38±14.54 to 5.94±21.81 (p<0.05). The SD of bone mineral density was decreased from -0.357±1.596 to -0.853±1.328, although the difference was not significant.
 In the group that started treatment during the growth phase, the average SD of their final height was significantly lower than that of pretreatment height. Bone densities of some patients decreased during the 2-year treatment period and were not completely recovered after the treatment.
 These findings suggest that steroid treatment could cause a high incidence of growth disturbance in children;thus, it is desirable to improve the standard treatment regimen for childhood IgAN.