Article: Study: Inhaled steroids might cause bone loss; Azmacort: Drugs is used to treat asthma

Inhaled steroids, widely used to treat asthma, cause bone loss in young women, researchers report.

Anti-inflammatory steroids taken in pill form are known to accelerate bone loss but it wasn't clear whether steroids inhaled directly into the lungs also thin bones.

Researchers at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital found a direct relation between the amount of inhaled steroids used and a decrease in bone density in the 109 women studied. Bone loss can lead to osteoporosis.

"The importance of this is that we know there's an effect, and the message really is we need to use inhaled corticosteroids at the lowest doses that we can," said Dr. Elliot Israel, one of the researchers.

The findings ...

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