Growth of asthmatic children during treatment with alternate-day steriods.

The effects of specific doses of alternate-day treatment with prednisone on linear growth were evaluated in children with severe asthma. It was found that even the control patients who did not receive steroid therapy had heights that were significantly lower than those of normal children of the same age and sex. The average severity of growth suppression in children who received alternate-day or intermittent treatment with steriods did not differ from that of asthmatic control patients. However, evaluation of individual patterns of growth during the follow-up period revealed that children who received small doses of alternate-day treatment (mean dose of prednisone, 9 mg. q.o.d.; range, 2.5 to 14 mg.) had acceleration of growth, whereas children who received larger treatment doses (mean dose of prednisone, 30 mg. q.o.d.; range, 18 to 58 mg.) had further suppression of growth during the period of study. Additionally, patients who had previously been treated with daily corticosteroids failed to demonstrate "catch-up" growth after introduction of an alternate-day program (mean dose of prednisone, 17 mg. q.o.d.).