Children with allergies are over-burdened with steroids

Drug experts issued a warning to parents and healthcare professionals in regard to the fact that children suffering from allergic conditions such as asthma and hayfever are being over-prescribed corticosteroids.

This warning was issued after a research unveiled at the British Pharmaceutical Conference (BPC) in Manchester suggested that most of the children with from multiple allergic conditions such as asthma, eczema, and hayfever could possibly be exposed to high doses of corticosteroids through co-prescribing of steroid preparations for varying conditions.

From Medicalnewstoday.com:

Dr McLay suggested that GPs may not always recognise that a child is potentially over-exposed to corticosteroids because general practice systems may not be set up to alert them to the impact of cumulative corticosteroid dosing, particularly if prescriptions are issued on a repeat basis. He said: “While this study did not set out to identify individual children receiving too high doses of steroids, our data suggests that up to 50% of children prescribed an inhaled and nasal corticosteroid, together, could be receiving too high a cumulative dose of steroid.

“We therefore recommend that all healthcare professionals or parents under the direction of a healthcare professional check for this issue,” added Dr McLay.

The potential long-term toxicity of chronic corticosteroid use in children is unclear, but there have been concerns about the impact on child growth. However, most children with asthma eventually attain normal height, even after receiving moderate corticosteroid doses.2, 3

Dr McLay said: “Corticosteroids have revolutionised the treatment of asthma and probably saved many children’s lives. But against a background of concern about the impact of long-term corticosteroid use, this study suggests that GPs should always consider the potential cumulative steroid burden for an atopic child.”

It was remarked by lead researcher Dr James McLay, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Medicine and Therapeutics at Aberdeen University that this research suggests that many children may be prescribed more than single corticosteroid preparation for an allergic condition.