Association between Bronchial Asthma and Pubertal Delay in Pediatric Patients

Abstract

Background: asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease with a considerable prevalence and unfavorable impacts on various body systems. The natural history of asthma has been extensively investigated in terms of the varied effects on age and gender. Aim of the study: this study aims to achieve a better understanding of the unclear relationship between bronchial asthma and pubertal delay in the pediatric age group. Methods: we reviewed the scientific literature concerned with studying the effect of asthma and its treatment on the growth of children and the onset of puberty using some international medical databases (Medline, Google scholar, EMBASE). Conclusion: Although there have been some community-based surveys and studies based on young children which failed to find an association between asthma and growth, others revealed that asthma can cause growth retardation through different mechanisms, including hypoxia, impaired lung functions, or endocrine malfunctions. Pubertal delay is also observed in untreated asthmatic boys and girls. In addition, inhaled corticosteroids, the best available treatment of asthma, were found also to have an effect on pubertal delay and this effect is dependent on the dose, duration and the outcome of therapy. When concentrating on pubertal delay, it seems that more longitudinal studies are required to comprehensively investigate the effects of asthma and its treatment on this vital stage of life.

Transition for Adolescents and Young Adults With Asthma

“…Untreated or poorly controlled asthma can be associated with pubertal delay (68–71), and the associated emotional distress secondary to pubertal delay can contribute to poorer asthma control and poor adherence to treatment (68). This is particularly the case as there is some evidence inhaled corticosteroids may contribute to pubertal delay (69) hence adolescent patients may be reluctant to use them. However, untreated or poorly treated asthma delays puberty on average by 1.3 years (71) and discussing this information may encourage adherence to treatment.…”