Children under the age of two who are given asthma medication are apparently more likely to have stunted growth.

A study in Finland looked at more than 12,000 children.

It found those who inhaled so-called cortico-steroids early on were too short for their age.

Lead researcher Dr Antti Saari says there should be careful consideration before the drug is prescribed:

The findings of the study will be presented at a conference by the European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology.

There are an estimated 470,000 asthma sufferers in Ireland, according to the Asthma Society of Ireland.