Asthma, Author Interviews, JAMA, Orthopedics, Pediatrics / 14.11.2017
No Link Found Inhaled Steroids and Bone Fractures in Asthmatic Children
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Teresa To, PhD
Biostatistics, Design and Analysis
Scientific Director
The Hospital for Sick Children
Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: We studied asthma prescription drug use in Ontario children aged 2 to 18 years with physician diagnosed asthma between 2003 and 2014.
We found that:
- Currently in Ontario, nearly 50% of children with asthma did not fill a prescription for an inhaled corticosteroid during the study period, despite these medications being considered the gold-standard for asthma management.
- Our findings did not show clinically important association between inhaled corticosteroids and fracture among children with asthma.
- However, systemic corticosteroids (oral or injection) are associated with higher fracture risk in children with asthma (17% higher risk).