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Abstract
Objectives: Asthma is characterized by diffuse reversible lower respiratory tract obstruction and, as a result of this, hypoxemia. During the attacks, the central nervous system is exposed to hypoxia and disorder occurs in the hypothalamo-hypophyseal-adrenal axis. In this condition, it has been proposed that sexual maturation might be affected during growth and puberty in asthmatic children. Also, the severity of disease, sex, control of symptoms, frequency of attacks and medications can affect the growth parameters and development of puberty. In this study, it was aimed to compare pubertal development in children with asthma with healthy children of similar age and to evaluate this statistically.
Material and Methods: The study was performed between January 2007-February 2010, in Pediatric Pulmonology. The records of patients with a diagnosis of asthma who were between 6-18 years were analyzed retrospectively. SPSS 15.0 software is used for statistical analysis and p<0.05 value was accepted as significant.
Results: Thirty-one boys (47.7%), 34 girls (52.3%),a total of 65 patients and 27 boys (49.1%), 28 girls (50.9%), a total of 55 healthy children were included in this study. Puberty stages were evaluated according to the classification of Tanner, for girls and boys. The study group and control group were compared and the age of onset of telarche for girls is found statistically lower than in the control group (p=0.015). The onset of pubarche for boys in the study group is found statistically lower than in the control group (p=0.023).
Conclusion: As a result, it was concluded that thelarche for girls and pubarche for boys are seen at earlier ages than for healthy children.