The effects of intranasal triamcinolone acetonide and intranasal fluticasone propionate on short-term bone growth and HPA axis in children with allergic rhinitis

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of triamcinolone acetonide (TAA) and fluticasone propionate (FP) aqueous nasal sprays on short-term lower-leg growth velocity and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)–axis function in pediatric subjects. In this controlled, double-blinded (TAA) or single-blinded (FP), four-way crossover trial, 59 subjects (mean age: 7.2 years) were randomized to receive each of four 2-week treatments in random order: TAA nasal spray 110 μg, TAA nasal spray 220 μg, FP nasal spray 200 μg, and placebo, administered by a third party once daily with a 2-week washout period between treatments. Lower-leg growth velocity was measured by knemometry, and HPA–axis function was measured using 12-hour overnight urinary cortisol levels. Forty-nine subjects completed all four treatments and were included in the analyses. Mean growth velocity (± standard error) was 0.46 (± 0.06) mm/week for placebo, 0.37 (± 0.06) and 0.31 (± 0.06) mm/week for TAA nasal spray 110 and 220 μg, respectively, and 0.37 (± 0.06) mm/week for FP nasal spray. The treatment effect on mean growth velocity compared with placebo was −19.6% with TAA 110 μg, −32.6% with TAA 220 μg, and −21.7% with FP; none of these effects was considered statistically or clinically significant according to predefined criteria. No significant differences in changes in urine cortisol/creatinine ratios were observed between TAA 110 μg or 220 μg and placebo (4.38, 3.60, and −0.67, respectively, P ≥ 0.157). In contrast, the change in mean urine cortisol/creatinine ratio values for FP (−3.59) were significantly lower compared with TAA 220 μg ( P = 0.033) and placebo ( P = 0.003). Knemometry exhibited less time-dependent variability than overnight urinary cortisol measurements. Neither TAA nor FP had a clinically significant effect on lower-leg growth velocity. In contrast to FP, TAA nasal spray did not significantly affect HPA–axis function when used over a 2-week interval.