Long-term outcomes in paediatric asthma

Over the years the aims of asthma management have changed markedly from effective prednisolone treatment of symptoms and exacerbations towards more use of continuous prophylactic treatment. With our new understanding of the disease and its management definition of the aims of treatment and assessment of optimal asthma control have become much more complex. Even in times of evidence-based medicine our asthma management is based upon findings of effects on various outcomes in somewhat short-term (<1 year) controlled studies. However, assumptions about long-term effects upon the basis of findings in such studies should be made with great caution. Good examples of this are studies which assess the risk of systemic effects and clinical adverse effects of inhaled corticosteroids. From such studies it has become clear that systemic effects detected in short-term trials may have no predictive value of long-term adverse effects. Thus steroid-induced changes in lower leg growth rates assessed by knemometry do not predict long-term statural growth. Moreover, steroid-induced changes in statural growth over 1 year are not predictive of effects upon attained adult height. In contrast, reduced growth caused by uncontrolled asthma disease also seems to affect attained adult height adversely. These findings suggest that long-term outcomes should play a larger role when future asthma management strategies are decided. Some important long-term outcomes of asthma management in children include cure or remission of the disease, prevention of complications of the disease (airway remodelling, adverse effects upon growth/adult height, peak bone mineral density, physical impairment and psychosocial development) or its pharmacological management (adverse effects upon adult height, peak bone mineral density). More controlled long-term studies (several years) are needed to provide a better understanding of how these outcomes are best achieved.