Asthma inhalers and cataract risk

People who use steroid inhalers, a common treatment for asthma, may be increasing their odds of developing cataracts, a potentially serious eye problem. However, with low doses and short treatment periods, the risk appears to be small.Previous reports have shown that steroid pills can increase the risk of cataracts, but it was unclear if this also applied to inhaled steroids. The findings come from a study of 15,479 patients with cataracts and 15,479 similar people without cataracts. Past and current inhaler use was then compared between the two groups.Any exposure to inhaled steroids raised the risk of cataract by 58 percent, researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in London have reported. However, after accounting for other factors that may have had an effect, the risk was only increased by 10%. The daily steroid dose and duration of treatment had a strong effect on cataract risk. For example, low doses did not raise the risk, whereas high doses increased the risk by up to 69 percent. Similarly, the risk rose the longer the patients had been treated with steroid inhalers.

Although the findings may be a cause for concern, these risks need to be considered in the light of the large beneficial effects of inhaled steroids to many patients with asthma and to some patients with other lung diseases, the researchers point out. Still, the risk of cataract associated with high doses of inhaled (steroids) needs to be more widely recognized.

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