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Published on: August 7, 2017
Growth velocity and weight gain in prepubertal asthmatic children
Larissa Celiberto Renosto1, Carla Acatauassu2, Itana Andrade2
1Resident in Pediatrics at Escola Paulista de Medicina - Universidade Federal de São Paulo (EPM-Unifesp), São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Insights
Asthmatic children experienced significant weight gain, with over 30% being overweight or obese. Growth rate (GR) was notably impacted in children with moderate to severe persistent asthma.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
- Respiratory Medicine
Background:
- Asthma is a common chronic respiratory disease in children.
- Growth and weight gain are crucial indicators of overall health in pediatric populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the stature growth rate (GR) and weight gain in prepubertal children with asthma.
- To identify potential factors influencing growth and weight in this cohort.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cohort study of 85 children under 9 years old with asthma.
- Analysis of medical records including height and weight over a one-year follow-up period.
- Application of Tanner growth curves for GR analysis and calculation of Z-score for GR (ZGR).
Main Results:
- 31.8% of asthmatic children were classified as overweight or obese.
- Low GR (ZGR < -2) was observed in 13.9% of patients.
- Low GR was significantly more frequent in children with moderate/severe persistent asthma compared to mild or intermittent forms (p=0.047).
Conclusions:
- Growth rate is most affected in children with moderate to severe persistent asthma.
- Excess weight is prevalent in prepubertal asthmatic children, irrespective of asthma severity.
- Steroid use was not found to be associated with altered GR in this study.
Objective::
To evaluate the stature growth rate (GR) and the weight gain of prepubertal asthmatic children.
Method::
A retrospective cohort study evaluating medical records of 85 children diagnosed with asthma, aged less than 9 years, of both sexes, with at least one year of follow-up in the allergy outpatient clinic. The data on the disease, weights and heights were collected through a standardized questionnaire on two occasions, with an interval of one year. The curves proposed by Tanner were applied for the analysis of the GR, and the Z-score of the GR (ZGR) was calculated.
Results::
Excess weight (risk for overweight, overweight and obesity) was observed in 31.8% (27/85) of the patients, but there was no association with the severity of asthma. Low GR (ZGR < -2) was found in 13.9% (11/79) of patients, most frequently among children with moderate/severe persistent asthma compared to persistent mild and intermittent forms (7/11 - 63.6% vs. 21/68 - 30.2%, respectively, p=0.047). Use of steroids (dose, type and time of use) was not associated with GR.
Conclusion::
GR was most affected in children with moderate/severe asthma.
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