journaljournal,

I agree. What difference does it make how tall you are anyway? I think I could put up with being a half inch shorter in exchange for the ability to breath. Your life doesn't depend on how tall you are; it does depend on whether or not you can breath. Height is all relative anyway. Gulliver was a giant in the land of the Lilliputians.

Corporations take no responsibility and neither does the Government (read: FDA).

I agree as well, my youngest son has horrible asthma. he has 2 different inhalers and takes nebulizer treatments as needed. I consider it a fair trade, half inch off height for the ability to breath on a day to day basis.

At least the side-effects arent worse as is with other drugs that are being used currently.

On top of the fact that I would consider a half inch in height a small price for being able to breathe, I seriously question the results of this study. The sample size of only 943 children coupled with the very small difference in height does not even come close to ruling this out as a normal statistical variance. If the sample size had been much larger or the height difference greater I might buy their conclusion, but I do not think they have even come close to proving the connection here. Since they are dealing with three different groups here, the one on the drug in question, the ones on a different drug, and the ones on placebo you are talking about groups of a little more than 300 people each. I am sure that you could collect random groups of 300 people from the general population and find a variance in average height between these groups of half an inch just by pure statistical chance.

JS-

Actually, the difference in height could be detected in a small study, which nearly 1000 kids is not. It depends on if they were anticipating a small difference or a large difference than on the number of kids.

I had mild asthma/allergies that could have been controlled otherwise. The 1/2 inch is a pretty big deal for someone who's barely over 5'3".

If I'd have known when I took this, I would have asked to take something else.

Wow, the drugs they make these days are so powerful that they can stunt growth in a person. Why are drugs being made for asthma being able to stunt growth anyway?

Wow, so in the doctor's office it goes a little something like this: "Well Kimmy you have a little asthma, but I'm going to prescribe to you a drug that could stunt your growth."

HEY FDA, HOW ABOUT PULLING THIS OFF THE SHELF?

I find this info false because

my dad was 6'2" and had asthma

My brother is 6'1" and has asthma

My sister is 5'8" and has asthma

A friend's son is 6'4" and has asthma

Yet I at 5'1" do not have asthma!

I don't understand how they figured all that out. None of us know how tall we are going to be when we grow up, so how do we know our growth was stunted? Maybe this IS as tall as I'm supposed to be. How do they know???? And yes, I had asthma as a child, grew out of it at 18, and had it come back full force when I was 33. It's gone to COPD, and I can no longer work. I'm also 5"3", even though I was 5'4" in college and am losing the battle with gravity at age 60.

I just find it hard to believe they know how tall I should have been without taking the Pulmacort.

Phalelo - if you only had mild asthma, you should be asking your doctor why you were put on inhaled steroids. Could it be that your asthma wasn't mild and the inhaled steroids had you well controlled so you only perceived your symptoms as being mild allergies/asthma? If not, this was a failing on your physicians part. ATS criteria for treatment of asthma with inhaled steroids is very clear.

hungrymongoose - inhaled steroids save the lives of asthmatics and the risk:benefit ratio is clearly in favor of the significant benefit to these patients.

We have been told a lot of things would stunt our growth as kids! Some things would not only stunt our grwith but would grow hair in the palm of your hands, make you go blind, or cause deformities!

Well, hungry, you don't seem to understand much about how serious asthma can be. These aren't usually prescribed on a regular basis for people with only very mild asthma. And even if that were the price, wouldn't you rather breathe than the alternative? You want them to pull an effective drug because of a half inch of height? Just make sure it's only when needed and for those who need it, but why withdraw the drug?

If this is the only side effect then there's no doubt that it is worth it. But, at least from the article, it doesn't sound like they can possibly reach any conclusions based on the study. Since everyone knows that kids grow at different rates at different times in their lives, who's to say that this drug had anything to do with the difference? I'd be willing to bet that you could do a similar study of just about any drug or food and come to the same conclusion with a random selection of 1,000 kids. I suspect that DNA had a heck of a lot more to do with it than the drug. Do these "scientists" really know how tall a kid is supposed to grow to before they actually get there? I doubt it. And, with so many things affecting their lives, it's pretty presumptuous to assume it's this drug. Sorry, but I just don't believe it. At least they haven't "proved" anything. But, it is nice PR and since they are being paid to "study" something, they have to do something to justify their fee.

I could live with being 6' 1-1/2" if I had my asthma under better control as a child. Why is this even a serious concern?

Well, Scotty, not all of us are so tall that giving up a 1/2 inch of height is no big deal, especially for guys. That said, this drug can literally mean the difference between life and death, and so the tradeoff is worth it for many.

Sillyshrinks, they are not saying that if you are tall you'll won't have asthma, but that if you take this drug as a child, it will stunt your growth about half an inch. Since they've only really been prescribing these inhaled corticosteroids since the late '80s, it is doubtful that your dad took them as a kid, (although maybe your brother did, since he's an inch shorter than your dad was) unless you are way too young to be on Newsvine....

No drug affects everyone identically. It's not going to be the case that every single person in the steroid group lost exactly half an inch of height, though that average value is the only thing that statistics can tell you. Some, perhaps most, will be just as tall as they would have been; others will have lost an inch or two (or perhaps more). But the latter probably would still consider it a good deal IF they had been sick enough and the drug effective enough that it made the difference in letting them live normally active lives.

No ram, all I am saying is there are many other ways to treat asthma. Just take this budesonide off the market.

("First, do no harm.")

I took pulmicort for a long time as an adult and it was certainly effective.

I question giving a kid with asthma a placebo. How cruel is that?

My 6 yr old daughter has been on it for 2 yrs and is 5-6 inches shorter than her schoolmates. Her mother is only 5'3" so this is also a factor but, I worry. If it's only going to be 1/2 inch less than she would normally be then no big deal.

@hungrymongoose - budesonide is one of many inhaled steroids on the market and this effect would be a class effect. The alternative for these patients is to take oral steroids which are delivered systemically and have a significantly worse adverse event profile. There is no reason to take this drug off the market. Your comment shows not only a considerable lack of knowledge of medications and health, it also shows an absolute lack of common sense

I don't understand how a half inch difference in average height between a control group and the experimental group is statistically significant. If it was 3 or 4 inches I'd say maybe they have something, but a half an inch? Really?

No SAICS, it's minds like yours that are warped into accepting adverse side effects from "great" "drugs" on the market. That's why this country is in the shape it is. It's people like you that are filling up this country thinking that it is O.K. to stunt your growth to be able to achieve asthma relief.

For the thinking people, it's not so much for the adults. It's the kids who are innocent and don't have a choice, who are being forced to take something that can cause their growth to be stunted, and have no say so whatsoever.

I didn't develop asthma until my late 30's but had I gotten it earlier even at 5' I would give up that 1/2 inch to breathe.

hungrymongoose, there is no alternative to this drug. For children and adults with severe asthma, inhaled steroids like this drug are the thing that keeps them from having to take oral steroids, which affect every organ of the body and have far more serious side effects. In a perfect world, yes, there would be a drug that doesn't stunt kids' growth, but without this drug, some kids would not make it to adulthood.

Hungry - first I respect your right to your opinion, but could I suggest that before you develop your opinion you live a weekend with severe asthma, the struggle to breathe, the brethless effect you get just walking across a room, the terror you get when you start struggling for air while caughing your lungs out, the feeling of weigh on your schest while trying to breath, the stiff shoulders and neck from the hunched over position you end up in while fighting to pull in air and push out air. Once you understand and have experienced the effects than maybe you will understand that if Pulmicort et al work for you how you would resist it being taken off the market. I would agree that this side effect be well communicated to parents and that parents clearly know if it is necessary before letting it be prescrobed for their kids.

Like lady cat I didn't develop asthma until my late 30's - and dPulmicort really doesn't help me - unfortunately my triggers are mostly allergies and when thye get bad I am one of those who needs oral steroids, and know what I would put up with those side effects to breathe.

I appreciate the comments of all the adult asthmatics who would have gladly given up that half an inch of height. My son is just shy of six, and has been on daily inhaled budesonide since he was three. We have attempted to take him off it several times, and each time resulted in a severe asthma attack, landing him in the hospital at least twice. I wish there were some other way to control his asthma, but I'll be damned if I'm going to put him through that hell of not being able to breathe and going to the hospital, just so he can have an extra half-a-stinking-inch. The budesonide allows him to live like any other little boy. He skis, he bikes, he runs and plays. He has more energy than I know what to do with. Without this med, he'd be in a hospital bed...or worse.

@hungrymongoose Until you have seen your child lying limp and unable to grasp a breath due to a severe asthma attack, do NOT presume to blame the parents in making this choice for their children. It's our RESPONSIBILITY to make decisions when they cannot.

Soooo, when is the FDA going to put PRIMATENE MIST back on the shelves??????? Has always worked great for me and I have been an asthmatic since I was 4 years old.

I agree. Choice is a good thing, and informed choices are even better. Posters above you are calling for the FDA to pull it. I am glad they are qualified to make desicions for the rest of us and are willing to send armed men to back up their do-gooderism.

SAICS,

"less systemically available than prednisone"

I have asthma, and my doctor once prescribed Prednisone. It was just these tiny little white pills, and I wondered how something so small could do much good. But Man! That little thing opened by lungs like nothing I had ever taken before! I felt as if I had never before known what is was actually like to be able to breath. Those things are incredibly powerful!

SAICS: The very point (a small price to pay) is the reason this is a non-news item. Thousands of parents are going to flock to doctors and pharmacists like this is a plague, because even if they read the entire article they will have personal doubts.

I've noticed this kind of thing building up the last couple years, not just medical but many categories, both on the computer and the Today Show. NBC apparently has too many people and they have to do something to stay on the payroll. Much of this stuff will be debunked within a year of the initial report.

My personal favorite peeve is Dr. Nancy Snyderman. She has moved from an occasional expert opinionator a few years ago to a full time job at NBC, yapping her mouth every day about something that I feel makes her an alarmist much of the time. If she is a board certified surgeon why isn't she in an operating room somewhere? She'll do a lot more good there.

imnotlost,

"Much of this stuff will be debunked within a year of the initial report."

That's why you should never put too must faith in a single study. Take drinking coffee, for example, studies have revealed that it is bad for you; then good for you; then bad for you; then good for you; etc. After many studies, no one seems to be able to determine definitively whether drinking coffee is good for you or not.

Mickey-1983943 - most asthmatics will have to take prednisone at some point in their lives (it's used to treat exacerbations of asthma) but you really don't want to take corticosteroids that work systemically for long periods of time because there are significant side effects to long term use. This is one of the reasons that inhaled steroids were such a breakthrough. By inhaling the corticosteroids you;re, essentially, applying them topically to your lungs so they work to decrease inflammation where they are needed instead of being delivered to every organ in your body via your bloodstream to be able to do so.

Drinking coffee will also open up your airways...I usually just drink a cup or two if I have some asthma symptoms and don't need the inhaler. And prednisone can be be amazing, but wow, can it mess up a body. That's why the inhaled steroids are better unless more is needed.

SAICS,

"most asthmatics will have to take prednisone at some point in their lives (it's used to treat exacerbations of asthma) but you really don't want to take corticosteroids that work systemically for long periods of time because there are significant side effects to long term use."

I think you are right because the doctor only prescribed it as a one time thing, and there were only a few tiny pills in the bottle.

ram,

You're right about the beneficial effects of coffee for asthma. I have noticed how it opens my airways, too.

coffee was an old treatment for asthma before bronchodilators were invented. Known for long time--theophylline type chemicals in it. Regular meds are stronger though.

And it's been known for decades that steroids stunt growth. But 1/2"? Much better than a kid dying of asthma.

Problem with stories like this are teens who will decide they'd rather risk dying than be shorter.

Genetics, the more history with each parent the greater the chance the child will have asthma. Environment, some areas of the country have more triggers than others.

bencas,

"Genetics, the more history with each parent the greater the chance the child will have asthma. Environment, some areas of the country have more triggers than others."

It probably is genetic. It seems just about everything is genetic. But the interesting thing in my case is that I was diagnosed with asthma when I was 12 or 13 years old, and yet neither one of my parents has asthma and none of my siblings has it (I had 3 sisters and 5 brothers). Nor am I aware of any history of asthma in my family. I must be the exception to the rule.

My husband developed asthma at age 50, and it is not very well controlled in spite of several med changes/dose increases. In contrast, our 19-year-old daughter, diagnosed with asthma at age 13, is not currently taking any asthma meds except for a couple of puffs of albuterol before running. Our daughter was diagnosed first, and there are plenty of relatives in my husband's family with asthma, but he was breathing normally until right about exactly his 50th birthday.

It can be genetics but is just as likely to be environmental. I have have asthma, but it is well controlled as long as I warm up before physical activities and exercise care at high altitudes. Still it has limited my physical abilities all my life. But, my identical twin brother has never had asthma. Strangely, I'm 1/2 in shorter than he is as well.

essie222,

"My husband developed asthma at age 50"

Yes, sometimes allergies do not develop until a later age. I was diagnosed with asthma when I was a kid, but I never had any problem with sinus allergies until I was in my 30's. Ever since then I have had a terrible problem with my sinuses.

Mickey - contrary to popular belief, while the inflammation that comes from allergies can and does impact those with asthma, asthma and allergies are not the same. That said, asthma, sinus problems & eczema are tightly linked. I think many of the clinical studies of the genetics of asthma were done in Australia because about 10% of the population had it and there seemed to be common within families.

FYI - There are a lot of children of smokers who develop asthma (reactive airways) in their 30s and 40s - this is a direct result of second hand smoke and the damage it does to small airways in the lungs.

SAICS,

"There are a lot of children of smokers who develop asthma (reactive airways) in their 30s and 40s - this is a direct result of second hand smoke and the damage it does to small airways in the lungs."

Neither one of my parents smoked, either. Nor did any of my siblings. But thanks for the information about allergies.

Don't discount cigarette smoke. My parents were habitual smokers. All of my childhood I went into fits of coughing whenever they lit up. They never put two and two together. I was sick all the time with asthma, but I didn't know it. Had to drop out of every sport I tried to join because I couldn't keep up. I always wondered how everyone else could play. I didn't know they could breathe better than me. When I went to college I went to the health center that was very modern and they did a pulmonary work-up. Then they sent me to a pulmonary specialist. Turns out I have had asthma my entire life and was lucky I did not die. Once I got on the right meds it was like night and day. However, even now, if I get one whiff of second-hand smoke I go into an asthma attack. So frustrating that people light up wherever they want. They have no clue what they do to people like me. They claim their right to smoke, but what about my right to breathe and not have an asthma attack??

I went to school with a boy named Robert, he was 6'3". He wound up shooting himself in the head.

floyd,

"I went to school with a boy named Robert, he was 6'3". He wound up shooting himself in the head."

I read your post before I read Robert's and thought, "What is the significance of that?" And then I read Robert's post and thought, "Oh, I see!"

Or maybe you didn't consider that part of the height issue and voice quality could be from have respiratory/allergy/immune issues as well, right? Of course meds affect you, but so does the disease.

actually dysphonia is common from using inhalers if you don't rinse your mouth/throat after each use. it's more common with the use of fluticasone that is orally inhaled than other inhalers (but I think the patients who take it think breathing is more important than having a beautiful speaking voice)

These studies are done on averages. If the control group and the study group are carefully randomized then a variance from the average of the group as a whole can be detected. As with any other study the results can't be used to predict the outcome on one single individual.

Dear michiganmom1978, I sincerely apologize for my abstract sense of humor regarding inhalers and children's use. I did not mean to ridicule illness of any type in children. I hope I caused you no pain. I am sorry. As for you, Floyd 335513, and your half-pint buddy, Mickey 1983943, go take a flying @!$%# at a rolling doughnut!. P.S. I have a few rounds left for you two... I missed when I tried to shoot myself!! Got some issues about your height there "short round?"

I'm sorry your son had so many problems, but doctors are always in training. Medicine is an ever-changing field. Even without the internet, you should always do research on what your doctor is telling you.

That said, I agree with you about screwing the insurance companies... if you can even get insurance nowadays. I hate our so-called "health care system".

Nicely sad Maz THEY make our system scary !

Gotta Love our tax $$$$$ at work ?

Some Dr's. should get their money back from the schools they went to ! THAT'S SCARY ON ITS OWN !

And if we go to national healthcare, will we receive the more expensive care you speak of or continue with the cheaper route or worse?

Well, coffee does help...it really does and has substances in it that are bronchodilators. But I understand what you mean and agree with you. It is a horrible feeling to not be able to get a breath and horrible to watch someone else struggle for air.

caffeine is a xanthine derivative, it's a very weak bronchodilator; strong enough it will impact pulmonary function testing and may ease a little bronchospasm in a pinch but I wouldn't rely on it instead of using an appropriate rescue inhaler like albuterol

SAICS - totally agree. Coffee has never helped me in time of need. Only my albuterol emergency inhaler.

Yeah, coffee or other caffeine sources has never helped me when I was having an exacerbation of my asthma. I take symbicort, singular, and spiriva everyday for prevention. I use albuterol during exacerbations and, occasionally, if it's really bad, I have to use my epipen.

I would gladly give up a 1/2 inch in height if that means I can breathe semi-normally.

Coffee may work, but I'm not giving coffee to my six-year-old!

Oh no we cant talk about causes , That just might cut in to someones bank account , we cant have that !

There are TONS of causes. Each person reacts to something different. Could be pollution, cigarette smoke, smoke from fires, pet dander, pollen, exercise, cold air, food allergies, dust ... there are a million things. Each person has to try and determine what is their particular trigger(s). For me it is dust, cigarette smoke, and exercise in cold air. Each person needs to work with their doctor, pulmonary doctor, and allergist and figure out what the triggers are. Then they need to work to try and low their exposure to those things. It can take a long time to figure these things out.

100% AGREE! Years ago I heard 'stories' from farmer friends that the grain stored in silos would be covered in mold - yet still sold and processed into a sub-grade flour that was then used in processed foods. Does make me wonder why we 'bleach' flour??!! And if there is any correlation between chlorine and inflammation. (Of course, chlorine could explain the wide-spread symptoms...)

And as I just typed that out....it just dawned on me.....I love pasta....and I fight asthma. I see an experiment in my future!

asthma is not due to an allergy to wheat and baker's lung isn't necessarily due to the flour being wheat it's due to the fine particulate matter bing inhaled and causing irritation

@Marko440 - farmer's lung is a chronic aspergillosis infection, not asthma