Systemic use of glucocorticoids, a class of steroids used in asthma treatment, is found closely associated with an increased risk of incident idiopathic venous thromboembolism (VTE). A recent study conducted by researchers from the Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, revealed that current and systemic glucocorticoid use can trigger a dose-responsive increased risk of adverse events such as increased coagulation and inhibition of fibrinolysis.

The researchers said that they conducted a nested case-control study among asthmatic patients aged 20-59, who received at least one glucocorticoid prescription during 1995– 2015. A descriptive analysis and conditional logistic regression to evaluate the risk of VTE associated with glucocorticoid use and found 3336 VTE cases in the population of 437,842 asthma patients. The study, published in the journal Clinical Epidemiology yesterday, observed that current glucocorticoid use was associated with an increased risk of VTE, particularly in those with systemic use and prescriptions initiated within 6 months of the index date. The association remained statistically significant after adjustment for VTE risk factors, including age, sex (adjusted through matching), BMI, history of COPD, phlebitis, smoking, diabetes, hormone replacement therapy, and oral contraceptive pill use, though the effect diminished with increasing use.