prescribed steroids have been associated with an increased risk of depression and tiredness, as well as other health problems, a major study has found.
Millions of Britons take steroids to treat a variety of conditions, such as arthritisCOPD, eczema Y asthma as well as damping the immune system in people with autoimmune disorders.
However, a first-of-its-kind study found that glucocorticoids, a type of drug often used to treat autoimmune and inflammatory skin conditions, can physically change the shape and structure of a patient’s brain, as well as increase potentially the risk of mental disorders. health problems.
Long-term use of systemic glucocorticoids has previously been linked to possible long-term side effects, but there has been little research to show that there is such a connection.
Scientists at Leiden University in the Netherlands looked at how systemic (infusion or tablet) and inhaled glucocorticoids affected people over time.
How drugs could affect the brain
The drugs work by dampening a person’s immune system to prevent chemicals from being released that target and attack their own organs. Examples of such chemicals include dexamethasonecortisone and budesonide.
Nearly 800 patients, most in their 60s, who are part of the UK Biobank study were enrolled in the research, with researchers equipped with MRI images of their brains, as well as extensive medical records.
The patients’ brains were then compared to more than 24,000 people of similar health, age and demographics to see differences in gray and white matter.
Both systemic and inhaled glucocorticoid use were associated with physically different white and gray substances, with systemic administration of the drugs most strongly implicated.
The study, published in the journal BMJ Open, said systemic use was associated with higher gray matter volume in the caudate structure in the brain, while inhaled users had lower gray matter volume in the amygdala.
The researchers say they can’t say the steroids cause brain changes because of the study design, but they do say it’s likely in light of the new data and previous reports.
Link between steroids and depression
The study data also shows that people taking systemic steroids are also 76 percent more likely to have depressive symptoms and 90 percent more likely to experience lethargy.
People taking systemic steroids are also 84% more likely to report struggling with disinterest and 78% more likely to report restlessness.
However, the researchers were unable to differentiate between people taking tablets and herbal teas.
People taking inhaled steroids have been found to be 35 percent more likely to report tiredness or lethargy and no increased risk of other conditions.
“This study shows that in the large UK Biobank population-based cohort, use of not only systemic glucocorticoids but also inhaled glucocorticoids is associated with changes in several brain imaging parameters,” the authors write in their paper.
“Analyses among chronic glucocorticoid users suggested a potential dose- or duration-dependent effect of glucocorticoids on white matter microstructure, with smaller effect sizes in inhaled glucocorticoid users, larger effect sizes in systemic glucocorticoid users and the largest effect sizes in chronic systemic glucocorticoid users. glucocorticoid users.
The team adds that the findings are “remarkable” and with the widespread prescription of steroids, there is now a need for greater awareness of the links between treatments and possible neuropsychiatric side effects.
“In this study, glucocorticoid users reported a higher frequency of various mental health problems, while their cognitive performance was not significantly different,” they write.
“To our knowledge, this is the largest study to date evaluating the association between glucocorticoid use and brain structure, and the first to investigate these associations in inhaled glucocorticoid users.”
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