Reduced height in Swedish men with asthma at the age of conscription for military service

Objective: To investigate the influence of asthma on growth in Swedish chil dren during a period when inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) have been first-lin e therapy for persistent asthma. Study design: We analyzed the height of conscripts with and without asthma in the year they turned 18 years old, using Swedish military conscription r ecords from 1983, 1986, 1993, and 1996, and assessed exposure to TCS using prescription records over the same period. Result: The mean height for conscripts without asthma was 179.3 cm (SD = 6. 6 cm, n = 164,503) and for conscripts with asthma 178.6 cm (SD = 6.6 cm, n = 8,531, P <.001). The severity of asthma had a negative correlation with h eight in all study populations (P <.001 in each year tested). Since 1985, i ncreasing numbers of children with asthma have been treated with ICS in Swe den. Sales of ICS for males from birth to age 19 years increased from 68,00 0 daily doses in 1983 to more than 3,000,000 in 1995-1996. During this peri od, there was no statistically significant change in the height difference between conscripts with and without asthma. Conclusion: The introduction of inhaled steroids in Sweden, where budesonid e is the predominant medication, has not changed the mean difference in hei ghts between Swedish conscripts with and without asthma.