WEDNESDAY, Dec. 18, 2002 (HealthDayNews) -- Inhaled corticosteroids increase the risk of hip fractures in older people, says a British study in the latest issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
The researchers studied 16,341 hip fracture cases and 29,889 people without hip fractures in a control group. The median age of the people in the study was 79.
The study found the risk of hip fracture associated with use of inhaled corticosteroids had an odds ratio of 1.26.
The researchers suggest that people with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease should limit their doses of inhaled corticosteroids to what's needed to control their airflow obstruction.
About one in 10 people in the United Kingdom are prescribed inhaled corticosteroids to manage asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Previous research found the use of 1,200 micrograms per day of inhaled corticosteroid led to a reduction in bone mineral density in the lower lumbar spine and femur.
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