My 5-year-old daughter has asthma. What is the effect of using an asthma preventer long-term? I heard that using it for years might cause bone shrinkage. Is it true?
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Asthma is a disease of the lungs, not the bones. So the question is that is there any connection between asthma and bones. The most important connection relates to the anti-inflammatory steroids (corticosteroids) used to treat asthma. Corticosteroids, if taken regularly or for many months of the year, can have major effects on the bones. This is especially true of steroids taken orally. In children, they can impair bone growth, leading to lesser height as an adult. In adults, steroids can decrease bone mass and predispose them to osteoporosis, a thinning of the bones. Osteoporosis can put you at risk for fractures, sometimes with minimal or no trauma. It can cause vertebrae in your back to collapse in on themselves (vertebral compression fractures), ribs to break with coughing or twisting, and hips to break when you fall. Because of the impact on bones and other side effects of oral corticosteroids, safer alternatives to treat asthma were developed. Inhaled corticosteroids are now available in many forms (dry-powder inhalers, or a solution for nebulization). Inhaled steroids are far safer for your bones because they are given at a fraction of the dose of oral steroids, with only a small portion entering the bloodstream. However, if the dose of inhaled steroid is high enough and the duration of use long enough (several years), it is possible that inhaled steroids, like oral steroids, can still affect your bone health.-------------myself is a homoeopath with 20 years of experience beside me and I would prefer you to start homoeopathic treatment if you want to be on the safer side---------
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