The study compared 109 premenopausal women with asthma. The women were divided into three groups. Two of the groups included women who used the inhaled steroid Azmacort, although at different doses, while women in the third group did not use any corticosteroids. Researchers regularly measured the women's bone density over a three-year period. They found that the amount of bone loss related directly to the number of puffs of inhealed steroids per year.
Inhaled steroids are the most effective treatment to control asthma.
The researchers' findings suggest that patients should work with their doctors to find the lowest possible dose of corticosteroids needed to prevent asthma symptoms. People using inhaled corticosteroids should get plenty of calcium, vitamin D and exercise, and women on higher doses of inhaled steroids are advised to have their bone density checked regularly, the AP said. A new procedure may help women preserve fertility after they undergo treatment for cancer or other diseases. In a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association , researchers implanted ovarian tissue into the arms of two women in their 30s who'd had their ovaries removed. One woman had had ovarian cancer and the other had benign ovarian cysts.