Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) to treat conditions like asthma are often used in infants with recurrent wheezing. But a study of more than 12,000 Finnish babies found that those who were given these meds during the first 2 years of life were too short for their age.

That result was more evident in children who were given the asthma medicine budesonide before their first birthday or for more than 6 months.

The researchers presented their results at the 54th Annual European Society for Pediatric Endocrinology Meeting in Barcelona, Spain. They say their findings underline the importance of using these medicines in infants appropriately.