Corticosteroids and Growth

One the most conspicuous effects of the glucocorticoid hormones is an inhibition of somatic growth in immature animals. In 1940, shortly after adrenocortical hormones became available for experimental purposes, Wells and Kendall observed that small doses of cortisone promptly suppressed growth in the rat,¹ and in the ensuing "steroid era" clinicians soon recognized that inhibition of growth is a prominent and often distressing problem in children treated chronically even with relatively low doses of adrenal corticosteroids. By the early 1960's several careful clinical studies had shown that as little as 45 mg of cortisone² or 6 mg of prednisone³ per . . .