Topical Corticosteroids and Glucocorticoid-Induced Osteoporosis—Cumulative Dose and Duration Matter

Abstract

Glucocorticoids are used by an estimated 0.5% to 1.0% of adults for management of a range of conditions, from allergies and inflammatory diseases to cancer.¹ Glucocorticoid use increases with age: more than 3% of adults older than 50 years and 5.2% older than 80 years use glucocorticoids.² Despite the availability of a growing number of medications to modulate immune function and/or inflammation, evidence from the Danish National Patient Registry suggests that the prevalence of glucocorticoid use has remained remarkably stable for 17 years (1999-2016).³ Thus, any noteworthy adverse effects associated with glucocorticoid use could have substantial consequences not only for the individual, but also for public health. Identify all potential conflicts of interest that might be relevant to your comment. Conflicts of interest comprise financial interests, activities, and relationships within the past 3 years including but not limited to employment, affiliation, grants or funding, consultancies, honoraria or payment, speaker's bureaus, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, royalties, donation of medical equipment, or patents planned, pending, or issued. Err on the side of full disclosure. If you have no conflicts of interest, check "No potential conflicts of interest" in the box below. The information will be posted with your response. Not all submitted comments are published. Please see our commenting policy for details.