Inhaled steroid which is used to treat asthma does not cause significantly affect or increase the risk of bone fractures. This was the result of a Switzerland study which investigated the effects of long term use of inhaled corticosteroids among young asthmatic patients.
Although inhaled corticosteroids have been widely used to treat asthma on children, doctors are still worried about the risks of the medication. Since the risks were not yet established before, doctors fear that inhaled steroids can cause bone loss or fractures among young patients.
From Bio-Medicine:
National asthma guidelines recommend inhaled steroids as the first line of defense for children with persistent forms of the disease. But doctors have long worried these drugs might be weakening the bones of youngsters who take them. The fear stems from research showing a link between oral forms of the drugs and osteoporosis in adults. Other studies have suggested a similar link between bone problems and the inhaled forms, but the evidence has not been conclusive.
In the current research, investigators conducted a large population-based study of kids age 5 to 17, matching about 3,740 asthma patients with nearly 21,760 kids without asthma. A comparison of fractures between the two groups showed similar rates of broken bones for asthmatics on the inhaled drugs and kids without asthma. The finding held true even for children who had been on the drugs for a long period. A small increased risk of fracture was seen, however, for long-time users of inhaled steroids who had also taken or were taking an oral form of the medication.
The study revealed that prolonged use of inhaled corticosteroids is safer for treating children’s asthma than oral steroids which is known to cause bone fractures. This type of medication does not increase the risk of bone fractures among children and adolescents.
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