Official data from the NHS in England show that there were 17m prescriptions for inhaled steroids dispensed in 2010, including 3.3m for budesonide, the steroid used in the study. It is not known how many of those were for children, however it is estimated that 70 per cent of asthmatics receive inhaled steroids.
In the study the children, aged between 5 and 12, received treatment for more than four years in one of three groups: one received twice-daily budesonide, an inhaled corticosteroid medication; a second group received nedocromil, an inhaled non-steroid medication; and a third group received a placebo.
The medicines are designed to be taken regularly to prevent asthma symptoms with other drugs used to counter asthma attacks as they occur.
All children received albuterol, a fast-acting drug for relief of acute asthma symptoms, and oral corticosteroids as needed for asthma symptoms.
The slower growth took place only in the first two years of the four-year study. As the study progressed, the children who took the budesonide remained one-half inch shorter into adulthood than the children who did not use the drug.
The patients who experienced the slower growth were mostly aged between 5 and 11 years old when they began using budesonide.
The study's senior author Dr Robert Strunk, Professor of Paediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, said: "This was surprising because in previous studies, we found that the slower growth would be temporary, not affecting adult height.
"But none of those studies followed patients from the time they entered the study until they had reached adult height."
Other factors that could have affected growth rate were taken into account.
Dr Strunk said: "We found it made no difference if they were boys or girls or how long they had had asthma, or any other of these factors.
"We also looked at the height of the parents, and that didn't have any impact, either.
"If a child is not growing as they should, we may reduce their steroid dose.
"But we think that the half-inch of lowered adult height must be balanced against the well-established benefit of inhaled corticosteroids in controlling persistent asthma.
"We will use the lowest effective dose to control symptoms to minimise concerns about effects on adult height."
Malayka Rahman, Research Analysis and Communications Officer at Asthma UK, said: "We know that some people with asthma don’t always take their medicines as prescribed because they are concerned about the side effects of their medication.
"Inhaled corticosteroids are highly effective in the treatment of asthma and can save lives. So it is crucial to remember the benefits of taking inhaled steroids and these often far outweigh the costs.
"It is important to note that chronic untreated asthma in children can itself cause poor growth. If parents are concerned about any aspect of their child’s medication they should talk to their doctor or asthma nurse."
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