D2.133 - Assessment of growth pattern in wheezing children (3-12 years of age)

Asthma has little , if any significant effect on attained adult height. Untreated Asthma results in a delay in puberty by approximately 1’3 years and pubertal delay is likely to explain the majority of growth failure in asthmatics.

 A total sample size of 200 children between the ages of 3 and 12 years. The inclusion criteria specifically target children presenting with persistent wheeze, while the exclusion criteria rule out normal children, acute infections, and anyone outside the specified age range. The methodology focused on assessing growth patterns through age-dependent and age-independent growth parameters. 

The study evaluated a cohort of 200 children with persistent wheezing, finding that 43% were aged 3–5 years, 31% were 5–10 years, and 27% were 10–12 years. Males represented 57% of the participants, while 43% were female. Regarding disease severity, 70% of the children presented with mild wheeze, 23% with moderate, and 7% with severe wheeze. Growth parameters were significantly impacted by the severity and frequency of episodes: children with severe wheezing exhibited a lower growth velocity (6.93 pm 1.32 cm/year) compared to those with mild wheezing (8.30 pm 1.72 cm/year) (p=0.024). Similarly, annual weight gain was notably lower in the severe group (2.23 pm 0.33 kg/year) than in the mild group (2.80 pm 0.6 kg/year) (p=0.042). Developmental assessment via DDST II showed that while 82% of children had normal development, language delays were the most common concern, affecting 17% of the cohort in the suspected category. Multiple regression analysis identified wheezing frequency, nutritional status, and duration of inhaled corticosteroid use as significant factors affecting growth velocity.

This research establishes a significant inverse relationship between the severity of wheezing and physical growth parameters in children aged 3–12 years. The data suggests that chronic respiratory distress, frequent exacerbations (more than 6 episodes per year), and the use of certain therapeutic interventions like inhaled corticosteroids can contribute to reduced growth velocity and weight gain. While the majority of children in the study maintained normal developmental trajectories, the increased prevalence of language-domain delays highlights a need for comprehensive monitoring. Ultimately, the findings underscore the necessity for clinicians to integrate regular growth and developmental screenings into the standard management of pediatric persistent wheeze to mitigate long-term impacts on a child's health.