Higher doses of topical corticosteroids may increase risk of the brittle bone disease osteoporosis and associated fractures, according to research in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.
Investigators selected 129,682 osteoporosis cases and 34,999 major osteoporotic fracture (MOF) cases and matched them with 518,728 and 139,996 controls (without osteoporosis or MOF) by sex and age using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database.
The team found clear dose–response relationships between long-term use of topical corticosteroids and osteoporosis and MOF. Compared with no doses, low, medium, and high cumulative of doses topical corticosteroids were associated with 1.22-, 1.26-, and 1.34-times higher odds of developing osteoporosis over five years. These respective doses were linked with 1.12-, 1.19-, and 1.29-times higher odds of experiencing MOF. Women had higher risks of osteoporosis and MOF than men. Also, younger people (<50 years) had a higher risk of osteoporosis compared with other age groups, the study showed.
“This study emphasizes that using topical corticosteroids to treat inflammatory skin conditions should be done very carefully and clinicians should be aware of these potential side effects,” concludes Chia-Yu Chu, MD PhD, of National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine in a news release.