There is an unexpected impact of chronic corticosteroid use on the human bones, as per experts at the annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) in Seattle.
It was remarked by Rebecca Green, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor, pediatric endocrinology and diabetes, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo, that though corticosteroids have been used successfully for treating complications left untreated by other treatment options, high doses of corticosteroids can lead to severe side effects.
From News-Medical.Net:
Inhaled corticosteroids are one of the most effective medications for controlling asthma. These anti-inflammatory medications reduce swelling in the airways, improve lung function and act to prevent asthma episodes or “asthma attacks“. Intervention with inhaled corticosteroids can improve asthma control and reduce emergency department visits, hospitalization and deaths.
The side effects attributed to corticosteroids include decreased bone mineral density and reduced bone mass, and also in children, reduced growth rate. According to Dr. Green, strategies to alleviate these effects include minimizing oral doses and adding topical or inhaled steroids to provide the same anti-inflammatory benefit in the areas affected by inflammation while avoiding systemic effects. Disturbance in bone acquisition in childhood can reduce peak bone mass and therefore significantly impact the life time risk of osteoporosis.
“One of the challenges has been distinguishing the effects of the inflammatory process itself on bone mass and growth, and the effects of corticosteroids on bone growth from the effects of corticosteroids on bone mass,” she said.
Dr. Kelly, professor emeritus of pediatrics, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, N.M., was of the view that the use of inhaled corticosteroids has the potential of reducing bone mineral growth in male children passing the puberty stage but the risk involved outweighs the ability to reduce the amount of oral corticosteroids used in these children.
