Individuals consuming oral steroids may be two folds likelier to have less vitamin D in their blood, according to scientists from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.

“When doctors write that prescription for steroids and they’re sending the patients for lab tests, they should also get the vitamin D level measured,” specified study lead author Amy Skversky, M.D., M.S., assistant professor of pediatrics at Einstein and Montefiore Medical Center, the University Hospital for Einstein.

From Healthjockey.com:

The severe vitamin D deficiency that is less than 10ng/ml, found in this study apparently leads to osteomalacia, muscle weakness, and rickets. Though debatable, 20 to 50ng/ml of vitamin D is usually regarded sufficient for bone health and wellness. The analysts believe that steroids boost proportions of a certain enzyme that makes the vitamin inactive.

The report namely ‘Association of Glucocorticoid Use and Low 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels: Results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES): 2001–2006’ is published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

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According to a research conducted at the National Jewish Medical and Research Center, black asthmatic teens are at an increased risk of developing resistant to steroid-based asthma therapy than their white counterparts.

The study disclosed that black asthmatic teens are also more likely to suffer from high mortality rate and be sick when compared to the white teens.

From News.Bio-Medicine.Org:

“Our results suggest that children with steroid-resistant asthma are more likely to be African-American, to have required treatment with oral steroids at an earlier age and to require larger amounts of oral steroids for only marginal control of their asthma,” said Joseph Spahn, M.D., a pediatric allergist and director of the Immunopharmacology Lab at National Jewish.

Other recent epidemiological studies have shown that blacks with asthma are sicker and have a higher mortality rate than whites with asthma. Doctors at National Jewish now are trying to determine whether blacks have a more vigorous immune response to airway inflammation–which means that higher doses of steroids must be used to control inflammation–or a poor response to steroids secondary to a genetic resistance to the drugs.

“The theory is that with ongoing airway inflammation you get worsening asthma and diminished steroid sensitivity,” Dr. Spahn said.

This study of 164 teen-agers treated at National Jewish also showed that 25 percent of the group was steroid resistant. Children with less than a 15 percent improvement in lung function following a “burst” of inhaled steroids–high doses over seven days–were considered steroid resistant.

“Twenty-five percent of the kids admitted to National Jewish have steroid-resistant asthma, which is much greater than anyone thought,” Dr. Spahn said.

According to Joseph Spahn, M.D., a pediatric allergist and director of the Immunopharmacology Lab at National Jewish, African-American children are at increased risk to develop steroid-resistant asthma.

The study was published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

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Most people have misconceptions about the causes and symptoms of cataract. Cataract is not a film that covers the eye. This happens not only to aging individuals but also to children and middle-aged individuals.

Cataract is the clouding of the eye’s natural lens. People who have cataract experience blurred vision, sensitivity to the light, poor night vision, double vision in one eye, and they see colors as if they are faded or yellowish.

From eyeSmart:

People who use both inhaled and oral steroids (corticosteroids) may be at increased risk for cataracts, according to a recent study. Many people with asthma rely on inhaled, and sometimes oral, steroids, as do people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The study assessed the inhaled and/or oral steroid use and cataract status of more than 3,600 people, following them for up to ten years. Increased cataract risks were found only in patients who, at the start of the study had ever used inhaled steroids, had used oral steroids for at least one month, and had no cataracts. Although only a small number of patients met these criteria, nearly all of them—seven of 10—were found to have cataracts in follow-up exams. You should talk with your doctor if you are prescribed both oral and inhaled steroids because of the potential for increased cataract risk.

According to a study that involved 3,600 patients who are using oral or inhaled steroid medications showed that they are prone to develop cataracts. It revealed that seven out of 10 patients acquired cataracts since they use steroids over a long period of time.

Aside from aging and steroid medications, there are other medicines which can contribute to cataracts such as psoralens, a class of drugs used along with light therapy to treat skin disorders, such as psoriasis; antipsychotic medications and glaucoma medications.

Tags:  cataracts, inhaled steroids, oral steroids, Steroids

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