Inhaled glucocorticoids promotes osteoporosis in asthma patients

Background: Recently many studies have focused on the possible role of corticosteroids inhalation on osteoporosis in asthma patients. This study aimed to determine whether the indicatives of bone formation or resorption are different between asthma patients with healthy subjects. Materials and Methods: To achieve this outcome, twenty one middle-aged asthma patients treated with inhaled corticosteroid and the same number healthy individuals matched for age (38 ± 6.5 years of old) participated in this study by accessible sampling. All subjects were non-trained and no smoker. Serum osteocalcin (OC), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and cross-linked telopeptides of type I collagen (CTX) were measured to assess and compare bone formation and resorption between 2 groups. An Independent sample T-test was used to compare all variables between asthma and healthy subjects. Results: Significant differences were not observed in body weight and other anthropometrical markers between 2 groups (p > 0.05). Serum osteocalcin have shown a borderline significant lower in asthma patients than healthy subjects (p = 0.051). ALP was significantly lower in asthma patients than healthy subjects (p = 0.021). But serum CTX levels were higher in asthma patients than in healthy subjects (p=0.014). Conclusion: Based on these finding, it is appear that inhaled corticosteroid in asthma patients can be affect bone turnover in asthma patients, although more research is needed to further explore any potential link between corticosteroids and osteoporosis.