Researchers at DARTNet Institute in Aurora, Colorado, have found a link between long-term use of commonly prescribed inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) and increased risk of serious health conditions.
A study published in the Annals of Family Medicine, the journal of the American Academy of Family Physicians, examined whether long-term ICS use (more than two years) increases the risk of serious health conditions compared with short-term use (less than four months).
Researchers analyzed health records of more than 20 million patients aged 45 and older with a diagnosis of COPD. They broke them down into two cohorts: those who were newly diagnosed with COPD and those who were diagnosed at an earlier time.
Using propensity score matching, they compared ICS users in both groups. Long-term ICS users were more than twice as likely as short-term ICS users to develop at least one of the following conditions:
- Type 2 diabetes
- Cataracts
- Pneumonia
- Osteoporosis
- Nontraumatic fractures
The risk for previously diagnosed COPD patients was 165% higher than that of newly diagnosed patients.
The researchers said in a news release this is a growing concern because “many patients with COPD are prescribed ICS even when not medically necessary, exposing them to serious long-term risks.”
Based on these results, the researchers wrote: “It is important for clinicians to verify a clinical need for ICS to treat COPD by assessing exacerbation frequency, total eosinophil count, and a failure of LABA/LAMA therapy to provide adequate exacerbation prevention before initiating ICS therapy.”
