Key clinical point : Asthma is associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis and fragility fractures (FF), particularly vertebral and humerus fractures.
Major finding : The risk of osteoporosis and FF was higher in asthma vs. non-asthma group (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]: 1.18 and 1.12, respectively). The effect was stronger in younger age groups ( Pinteraction less than .0001). Forearm-wrist (aHR, 1.21) and vertebra (aHR, 1.19) were the sites associated with a higher risk. Among patients with asthma, a single oral corticosteroid course increased the risk of osteoporosis, and greater use of inhaled corticosteroids increased the risk of both bone diseases.
Study details : This population-based matched cohort study included 138,123 patients with asthma and 520,626 age-, sex-, and practice-matched people without asthma using data from the U.K. Clinical Practice Research Datalink.
Disclosures: The study was funded by a research grant from the British Medical Association. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
Source: Chalitsios CV et al. Eur Respir J. 2020 Aug 6. doi: 10.1183/13993003.01251-2020 .