Inhaled and nasal corticosteroids: safety aspects.

The commercially available inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) for asthma treatment are beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP), budesonide (BUD), ̄unisolide (FLU), ̄uticasone propionate (FP), mometasone furoate (MF), and triamcinolone acetonide (TA); most of them are also available as nasal sprays for the treatment of rhinitis. There is no longer any doubt of their effectiveness in both asthma and rhinitis. Since ICS are widely used in both adults and children, the issue of safety and the risk/bene®t ratio assume primary importance. The present position paper focuses on the clinical and biological aspects of the safety of ICS; therefore, the available literature is reviewed in order to reach experimentally supported conclusions useful for ÐÐÐÐÐÐÐ *Prepared by the Antiallergic Drugs Subcommittee of the European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (EAACI). This document represents the ``state of the art'', and is based on the literature available as of December 1998. The ef®cacy and safety of inhaled and nasal corticosteroids is a fast-changing ®eld; therefore, this position paper will be updated as frequently as required by new experimental evidence. Allergy 2000: 55: 16±33 Printed in UK. All rights reserved Copyright # Munksgaard 2000