Abstract
Asthma is characterised by chronic airway inflammation that is likely to be evident even in children. Current asthma treatment recommendations, as stated in many guidelines, therefore suggest early intervention with inhaled corticosteroids. We performed retrospective research to determine whether inhaled fluticasone propionate (FP) exerts any long-term effects on growth in young children with persistent asthma. Subjects comprised 64 patients aged 18-68 months. Long-term treatment was started with FP as a virgin inhaled corticosteroid, lasting for at least 6 months (mean dosage, 109.5μg/day). A significant reduction in clinical symptoms was achieved after FP treatment. No significant growth suppression was found among subjects in comparison with the standard growth curve for Japanese children. In conclusion, even in children younger than 6-years-old, FP significantly improves asthmatic symptoms without causing significant growth suppression. However, the growth of each child treated with FP should still be monitored.
