Inhaled Glucocorticoid Use and the Risk of Osteoporosis in Asthmatic Patients

Introduction: Many recent studies have focused on the possible role of corticosteroid inhalation in osteoporosis in asthmatic patients. Aim: This study aimed to determine whether the indicators of bone formation or resorption are different between asthmatic patients and healthy subjects. Materials and Methods: To achieve this outcome, 21 middle-aged patients with mild to moderate asthma treated with inhaled corticosteroid and the same number of healthy individuals matched for age (38 ± 6.5 years) were enrolled in this study by accessible sampling. All the subjects were non-trained and non-smokers. The serum levels of 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 the two groups. An independent-sample t test was used to compare all variables between the patients with asthma and the healthy subjects. Results: Significant differences in body weight and other anthropometrical markers were not observed between the two groups (p 0.05). Serum osteocalcin level was borderline significantly lower in the asthmatic patients than in the healthy subjects (p = 0.051). The ALP level was significantly lower (p = 0.021) but the serum CTX levels were higher in the asthmatic patients than in the healthy subjects (p = 0.014). Conclusion: On the basis of these findings, inhaled corticosteroid can affect bone turnover in asthmatic patients, although more research is needed to further explore any potential link between corticosteroids and osteoporosis.