January 24, 2003 MILWAUKEE (AAAAI) -- Inhaled corticosteroids do not decrease bone density in post-menopausal women, according to a study in the January 2003 Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (JACI). The JACI is the peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI).
Corticosteroids are anti-inflammatory medications frequently used to treat asthma and other respiratory disorders. Long-term use of corticosteroids in oral form has been linked to adverse effects, including osteoporosis. In this study, researchers in Sweden at Lund University and Goteberg University, led by Sφlve Elmstεhl, MD, PhD, sought to understand if inhaled corticosteroids also produced a decrease in bone density.
Among the sample group of post-menopausal women, 106 had been using inhaled corticosteroids; 49 had been using oral, inhaled and intra-articular injections; and 674 had not been using any form of corticosteroids. Researchers collected health, dietary and medication information, and performed forearm bone density scans on the women.
Researchers found no difference in bone density measurements between the group using inhaled corticosteroids and the group that had no usage. The study also found no relationship between inhaled corticosteroid dose levels and bone density further underscoring the relative safety of this form of corticosteroid. As suspected, bone density was found to be lower among the women using oral corticosteroids.
