Call for greater caution for prescribing inhaled corticosteroidsLung disease experts at Johns Hopkins have made a call for greater caution for prescribing inhaled corticosteroids to people with COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). This call was made after evidence was found that the widely used anti-inflammatory medications tend to raise the risk of pneumonia by a full third.

It is believed that more than 11 million Americans are living with COPD and a vast majority of this population belongs to the former or current smokers’ category.

From News-Medical.Net:

Despite the increased pneumonia risk, the team found no clear evidence that the drug therapy also pushes up rates for other steroid-related problems, such as bone fractures, nor was there an increase in deaths.

Senior study investigator and critical care specialist Eddy Fan, M.D., says the results of the analysis should not alarm patients or cause them to stop taking their medications but should spur physicians to screen and monitor their patients to find the lowest possible steroid dose that works, especially in the elderly, people with immune system problems, and people who have had multiple bouts of pneumonia and for whom repeat bacterial infection might be a life-threatening complication.

“Inhaled corticosteroids are not of equal benefit to all, and what we are seeing is that the treatment may be more harmful and pose a greater risk of harm to some,” says Fan, an instructor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

According to pulmonologist M. Brad Drummond, M.D., M.H.S., who led the study, these new findings are expected to serve as a reminder to all those people with severe lung disease to plan and take steps that can minimize the chances of getting pneumonia, which doubles their risk of dying.


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