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. 1990 Aug;65(8):838–840. doi: 10.1136/adc.65.8.838

Adrenal function in asthma.

K Priftis 1, A D Milner 1, E Conway 1, J W Honour 1
PMCID: PMC1792501  PMID: 2400219

Abstract

A dose dependent suppression of daily cortisol excretion was shown in 25 children with asthma being treated with beclomethasone dipropionate. Cortisol metabolites tended to occur below the normal range when doses of beclomethasone of more than 400 micrograms/m2/day were given. Androgen excretion below the normal range was apparent in asthmatic children aged 8-13 years regardless of whether they were receiving inhaled steroids. This may be the reason for growth delay often seen in asthmatic children. These side effects of beclomethasone are not enough reason to discourage its prescription for the treatment of asthma, but endocrine assessment is desirable when the dose exceeds 400 micrograms/m2/day.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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