Turpeinen M, Raitio H, Pelkonen AS, Nikander K, Sorva R, Selroos O, Juntuinen-Backman K, Haahtela T
Skin thickness in children treated with daily or periodical inhaled budesonide for mild persistent asthma. The Helsinki Early Intervention Childhood Asthma (HEICA) study. [JOURNAL ARTICLE]
Pediatr Res 2009 Oct 24.
In adults, asthma treatment with high doses of inhaled corticosteroids has resulted in dermal thinning. The aim of this study was to investigate the skin thickness in children with asthma during budesonide treatment. In a double-blind study, 113 children, 5-10 years old, with persistent asthma received budesonide 400 mug twice daily for 1 month and thereafter 200 mug twice daily for 5 months. Thereafter, 56 children received 100 mug twice daily for 1 year, whereas 57 other children used budesonide periodically for exacerbations. An additional 54 children were treated with disodium cromoglycate (DSCG) for 18 months. Skin thickness was measured on each forearm before and after treatment for 6, 12, and 18 months using a 20 MHz high-resolution ultrasonic device. The initial 6-month budesonide treatment resulted in a greater reduction in mean skin thickness in the forearms compared with DSCG (right: -35.9 vs. -5.9 mum; p=0.004; left: -30.6 vs. -7.3 mum; p=0.03). At month 18, the inter-group differences were no longer significant. Budesonide inhalations in daily doses of 400 to 800 mug in prepubertal children with newly detected asthma may cause minor dermal thinning. The changes were reversible during low dose or periodic treatment with budesonide.
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