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Inhaled corticosteroids cause fewer side effects than orally administered steroids; however, they are absorbed into the systemic circulation, and their use has been associated with bruising, cataracts, and glaucoma. Other physiological effects of their long-term use by asthma patients are not well established.
This dose-response study was designed to assess the effects of inhaled corticosteroids on bone mineral density as measured in the spine and femur. Investigators enrolled 196 adults with asthma (age, 20 to 40; 119 female) who had been taking inhaled corticosteroids for a median of 6 years and who had had limited exposure to oral corticosteroids. The cumulative inhaled corticosteroid dose for each patient (median, 876 mg) was calculated …