ESPE Abstracts

Background: Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) and montelukast are commonly prescribed drugs in asthma treatment. Several studies have investigated the adverse effects of ICS on growth and weight gain in children. However, the biosafety studies of montelukast are mostly focused on the neuropsychiatric side effects. The present study aimed at investigating the adverse effects of montelukast and ICS on anthropometric parameters in children.

Methods: The present study used a retrospective cohort design of 175 children with asthma in three treatment groups including budesonide, fluticasone propionate, and montelukast sodium. Children who were admitted to the outpatient department with allergic symptoms other than asthma were demarked as a control group. All subjects had at least two clinical visits within a 12-month interval. The daily steroid dosage was calculated individually for each patient. The skin prick test results, cumulative dose, and type of medication, anthropometric parameters including height, weight, BMI in both the visits, were obtained from medical records of the patients.

Results: There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of age, gender, atopy and rhinitis prevalence. In the first, as well as last visit, the height SDS, weight SDS and BMI SDS did not show the difference between the groups. These values did not vary during the study period also. There was found a negative correlation between the variations in height SDS and daily dosage of BUD.

Conclusions: Commonly prescribed doses of inhaled steroids and montelukast are safe and do not affect BMI and growth in asthmatic children.