Two classes of medications are currently available for treatment of inflammation--corticosteroids and cromolyn sodium. Inhaled corticosteroids have significantly fewer side effects than systemic administration. Corticosteroids do not inhibit the early asthmatic response, but are effective in suppressing the inflammation and bronchial hyperresponsiveness of the late phase response. Long-term studies of inhaled corticosteroids have shown beneficial effects on lung function as measured by FEV1. However, there has been concern about possible effects of long-term use of inhaled corticosteroids. Although epidemiological studies of the use of inhaled corticosteroids have shown no significant adverse effects, large-scale randomized controlled studies of their effects on children's growth and development are needed.