People who take short-term prescribed steroid pills may be at risk of developing serious conditions that could turn life-threatening, according to a paper published in The BMJ.
Researchers analyzed data from 1.5 million non-elderly adults with private insurance in the United States. One in five filled a short-term prescription for oral corticosteroids, such as prednisone, in the three-year study period.
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Half of those who received oral steroids had been prescribed the drugs for only six diagnoses related to back pain, allergies or respiratory tract infections. The researchers excluded people who took steroids in the year before the study period began as well as those who took inhaled or injected steroids during the study period and those who took oral steroids for more than 30 days. They also did not include people who had cancer or transplants.
The study shows higher rates of sepsis, venous thromboembolism and fractures among those who used steroids on a short-term basis. Researchers found that 0.05 percent of steroid users were hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of sepsis, as compared to 0.02 percent of non-steroid users.
Additionally, 0.14 percent of steroid users were admitted to a hospital for clots versus 0.09 percent of non-steroid users. Steroid users were also more likely to suffer a fracture — 0.51 percent versus 0.39 percent.
The study also shows that, in the 30 days after a steroid prescription, sepsis rates were five times higher, VTE clot rates were more than three times higher and fracture rates were nearly twice as high as compared to people who did not use steroids.