[The growth curve in asthmatic children]

The growth of 209 children with moderate and severe bronchial asthma seen at two different Health Care Centers for Bronchial Asthma Patients: (ICr and USP) was studied. The two groups differ mainly in socioeconomic level. Age at the onset of the disease, as well as duration and severity of the illness were considered. The first manifestations of the disease occurred before two years of age in 68.4% of the children. There was a predominance of males over females, with an almost 2:1 ratio in severe cases. The relationship between socioeconomic level and severity of the disease was highly significant (p less than 0.002). Weight and height were predominantly in the 50 percentile or below. This predominance was more evident for height. The height percentiles were significantly lower for the ICr group (p less than 0.01). Only 5.7% of the population studied had been submitted to prolonged (more than 3 months) corticoid treatment.