© 2002 Archives of Disease in Childhood Fetal and Neonatal Edition
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Growth effects of systemic versus inhaled steroids in chronic lung disease
Children Nationwide Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Centre, King's College Hospital, London, UK
Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr R M Nicholl, Consultant Paediatrician, Northwick Park & St Mark's NHS Trust, Harrow HA1 3UJ, UK;
drnicholl{at}aol.com
Aim: To compare the effects of inhaled and systemic steroids on growth in very low birthweight (VLBW) infants with chronic lung disease (CLD).
Methods: Sixteen babies with CLD randomly received inhaled budesonide (100 µg four times daily for 10 days via Aerochamber) or systemic steroids (dexamethasone 0.5 mg/kg/day, reducing over nine days). Linear growth (lower leg length, LLL) was measured by knemometry twice weekly.
Results: The gestational age, birth weight, postnatal age, and LLL velocity (LLLvel) were similar between the two groups at the start of treatment. At the end of the treatment period, LLLvel was reduced in the dexamethasone group (mean -0.01 mm/day) but had increased in the budesonide group (mean 0.48 mm/day). Mean weight gain was non-significantly lower in the dexamethasone group (5.8 g/kg/day) compared to the budesonide group (mean 12.7 g/kg/day).
Conclusion: Inhaled budesonide has less short term effects on growth than systemically administered dexamethasone.
Keywords: chronic lung disease; steroids; knemometry
Abbreviations: BMF, breast milk fortifier; CLD, chronic lung disease; LLL, lower leg length; LLLvel, LLL velocity; VLBW, very low birthweight
Relevant Article
CiteULike 
Complore 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us 
Digg 
Reddit 
Technorati What's this?
Arch. Dis. Child. Fetal Neonatal Ed. 2002 87: F2.
This article has been cited by other articles:
-
Arya, V., Demarco, V. G., Issar, M., Hochhaus, G.
(2006). CONTRARY TO ADULT, NEONATAL RATS SHOW PRONOUNCED BRAIN UPTAKE OF CORTICOSTEROIDS. Drug Metab. Dispos.
34: 939-942
[Abstract] [Full Text] -
(2003). OTHER ARTICLES NOTED (Nov 01 to 18 Oct 02). Evid. Based Nurs.
6: e1-1
[Full Text]
- Full Text
- Full Text (PDF)
- Submit a response
- Alert me when this article is cited
- Alert me when eLetters are posted
- Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
- Email this link to a friend
- Similar articles in ADC Online
- Similar articles in PubMed
- Add article to my folders
- Download to citation manager
- Request Permissions
Citing Articles
Google Scholar
PubMed
Topic Collections
Bookmark with
Register for free content
The full back archive is now available for all BMJ Journals. Institutional subscribers may access the entire archive as part of their subscription. Personal subscribers will also have access to all content when logged in. Non-subscribers who register have free access to all articles published before 2006 right back to volume 1 issue 1. Register here to access the free archive of all BMJ Journals.
Don't forget to sign up for content alerts so you keep up to date with all the articles as they are published.
