New findings in relation to the usage of chronic corticosteroid were revealed during an annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) in Seattle.
As per Rebecca Green, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo., corticosteroids have long being considered to be miracle drugs for ailments and controlling symptoms when all other medication forms have failed to deliver any value.
From News-Medical.Net:
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.
“Analysis of large population databases has recently yielded extremely valuable data about corticosteroids and fractures, with some unexpected impact of lower doses. Analysis of the same database for inhaled steroid use in adults showed a small increase in fracture risk in users of inhaled steroids compared to control, but comparable risk of fracture in inhaled steroid users compared to individuals using inhaled bronchodilators. This suggests that the increased risk of fracture was secondary to the disease itself, not the inhaled steroids,” Dr. Green explained.
It was remarked by Dr. Kelly, Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, N.M., that the use of inhaled corticosteroid provides a unique potential to reduce bone mineral growth in male children progressing through their puberty stage. However, the concerned risk has a high probability of being outweighed by the ability of minimized quantities of oral corticosteroid in these children.
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