The use of steroids for reducing pain and inflammation of arthritis could significantly increase the risk of bone fractures, according to new research.
The research, published in the July edition of the journal Arthritis Care & Research, found that the longer steroids use the greater the risk of fractures.
The study was carried out on 26,000 patients over a nine year period.
[quote]The researchers concluded that steroid use for more than five years was one of the most significant risk factors for the bone thinning condition osteoporosis.[/quote]
This new reaserch backs up an increasing bank of evidence that steroids can, in the long term, cause more harm than good an that wherever possible patients should try to seek alternative anti-inflammatory treatments for their arthritis.
