A new study found that taking glucorticoids may be linked to damaging changes in the white matter of the brain.
Glucorticoids, a type of steroid used to curb inflammation in asthma and the autoimmune disorders, is one of the most frequently prescribed anti-inflammatory medication.
Researchers used data from the UK BioBanks, a large biomedical research centre that followed 500,000 residents of the UK from 2006 to 2010. The database showed 222 oral glucocorticoid users and 557 users of inhaled glucocorticoids who did not have a previous diagnosis of any neurological disorder.
Those people underwent cognitive testing finding that the steroid was having an effect on the participants’ white matter of the brain.
Thomas Ritz, a professor of psychology at Southern Methodist University, said: “This new study is particularly interesting in showing the extent to which white matter, which is required for neurons to connect with each other, is affected by medication use.”
White matter is the tissue that forms connections between brain cells and the rest of the nervous system. Having less white matter can slow the brain’s availability to pay attention, process and remember information.
The study authors wrote: “To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest study to date assessing the association between glucocorticoid use and brain structure, and the first to investigate those associations in inhaled glucocorticoid users.”
However, neuroimmunologist Dr Avindra Nath said “there is no reason for alarm” as if you give patients steroids, “the brain does shrink, but when you take them off the steroid, it comes back.”
The new study had limitations as it was not able to determine steroid doses and it was unable to differentiate between people who take steroids tablets and those who use infusions.
Ritz said: “The study mainly confirms what we know for a long time in asthma management: take as few systemic (oral) corticosteroids as possible, as long as you are not a patient with severe asthma.
“Stick to inhaled steroids and discuss with your treating physician plans to step down medication regimens during good times.”
