Development Of Posterior Subcapsular Cataract Research Articles

An article reviews of anti-cataract activity of hydroalcoholic extract of Annona squamosa leaves

Other medicines and natural remedies have been used for the treatment and health of people since ancient times. Medicinal plants are considered useful and of the most important purpose. It can be applied to botanical medicines, nutraceuticals, medicines, food products, cosmetics, etc. There is an increasing demand for. Custard apples. It is a versatile tree whose fruit is edible and a source of medicine and products. It is used as antioxidant, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, cytotoxic activity, genotoxicity, antitumor activity, anti-inflammatory drug. Cataract is nothing but visual impairment caused by a defect in the lens. It is one of the causes of blindness worldwide; It accounts for approximately 42% of all blindness. One significant risk factor for the development of posterior subcapsular cataracts is long-term glucocorticoid usage. The preventive and therapeutic effects of many herbs such as onion, Chinese cinnamon and ginkgo, which have protective properties against cataracts, have been reported. This review demonstrates the therapeutic potential of custard apple leaf extract as an anti-cataract effec

The impact of GJA3 SNPs on susceptibility to age-related cataract.

To determine the association of gap junction protein alpha 3 (GJA3) gene tag single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with susceptibility to age-related cataract (ARC). In total, 486 ARC patients were matched with 500 healthy controls. All the participants underwent complete ophthalmic examinations. Haplotype-tagging SNPs of GJA3 gene were selected from the HapMap Beijing Han Chinese population. Genomic DNA was extracted from the peripheral blood leukocytes of all the subjects. Under three different genetic models: dominant, recessive, and additive, the association between SNPs and ARC was examined. After adjusting for age and sex, the genetic effects of the GJA3 SNPs were evaluated with logistic regression analysis. Four tag GJA3 SNPs (rs6490519, rs9506430, rs9509053, and rs9552089) were included in the present study. None of the SNPs showed a significant relationship with an altered risk of total ARC under the dominant, recessive, or additive models. In the subgroup analysis, rs9506430 had a significant effect on the formation of a posterior subcapsular cataract (P=0.002, OR: 0.227, 95%CI: 0.088-0.590) under the recessive model. Our study indicates that GJA3 variants may influence the development of posterior subcapsular cataracts. Further studies need to be designed to confirm this possibility.

Lens retrodots and vacuoles and their associations with the prevalence and incidence of age-related cataract

To assess the prevalence of retrodots and vacuoles and their associations with the prevalence and long-term incidence of age-related cataract in an older Australian cohort. Of 3654 baseline participants of the Blue Mountains Eye Study aged 49+ years (1992-1994), 2335 and 1952 were re-examined after 5 and 10 years, respectively. Lens photographs were graded for cataract, retrodots, and vacuoles. Eye-specific data were used to assess the associations between retrodots or vacuoles at baseline and the prevalence and 10-year incidence of nuclear, cortical, and posterior subcapsular (PSC) cataract and cataract surgery. At baseline, retrodots were present in 142 persons (4%) and vacuoles in 1333 persons (40%). Prevalence of both lens features increased with increasing age (P for trend <0.0001). After adjusting for age and gender, vacuoles were associated with prevalent PSC cataract at baseline (odds ratio (OR), 1.60, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.25-2.05). After adjusting for age, gender, smoking, hypertension, diabetes, education, and use of inhaled/oral steroids, baseline retrodots were associated with an increased incidence of cataract surgery (OR 2.90, 95% CI 1.71-4.91), while 3+ vacuoles at baseline were associated with an increased risk of PSC cataract (OR 3.56, 95% CI 2.13-5.95) and cataract surgery (OR 1.84, 95% CI 1.22-2.77). Lens retrodots and vacuoles were found to be positively associated with 10-year incidence of cataract surgery, and vacuoles associated with PSC cataract, a finding suggestive of shared risk factors or pathogenesis between these two lens features and the development of PSC cataract.

Bilateral posterior subcapsular cataracts associated with long-term intranasal steroid use

The use of systemic steroids has been established as a risk factor for the development of posterior subcapsular cataracts. In recent decades, the use of nasal topical steroids has increased in an effort to decrease systemic side effects. Current evidence of an association between nasal steroid use and cataract formation is contradictory. We present a case of rapid-onset bilateral posterior subcapsular cataracts in a young healthy patient with a history of long-term nasal steroid use.

Intravitreal Triamcinolone for the Treatment of Ischemic Macular Edema Associated With Branch Retinal Vein Occlusion

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide (IVTA) for ischemic macular edema associated with branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) and foveal ischemia. Prospective interventional case series. setting: Clinical practice. study population: Eighteen eyes of 18 patients with macular edema associated with BRVO and foveal ischemia. intervention: Four mg IVTA. main outcome measures: Visual acuity (VA), optical coherence tomography, macular thickness measurements, and treatment-related complications. The mean duration of BRVO before treatment was 14 months. All patients were followed for a minimum of nine months, and 12 patients completed 12 months follow-up. The mean logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) VA improved significantly from 0.81 +/- 0.36 at baseline to 0.65 +/- 0.30 at one month (P = .03) but did not vary significantly from baseline at three, six, nine, and 12 months. Macular thickness improved significantly in all eyes from a mean of 400 +/- 134 mum preinjection, to 228 +/- 58 mum at one month (P < .01) and 256 +/- 121 mum at three months (P < .01) but did not vary significantly from baseline at six, nine, and 12 months. Eight eyes developed posterior subcapsular cataract, intraocular pressure (IOP) exceeded 21 mm Hg in four eyes, and two eyes developed vitreomacular traction during follow-up. IVTA is effective in reducing ischemic macular edema associated with BRVO and foveal capillary nonperfusion. This reduction is often associated with a temporary improvement in VA. Raised IOP and development of posterior subcapsular cataract are disadvantages of this treatment.

Intravitreal Triamcinolone-Induced Elevated Intraocular Pressure Is Associated With the Development of Posterior Subcapsular Cataract

Intravitreal Triamcinolone-Induced Elevated Intraocular Pressure Is Associated With the Development of Posterior Subcapsular Cataract

The risk of posterior subcapsular cataracts in granulocyte donors

Therapeutic use of adrenal corticosteroids is a risk factor for the development of posterior subcapsular cataract (PSC). Because corticosteroids are given to donors of apheresis granulocytes (PMNs) to improve yield, this study was performed to determine the prevalence of PSCs in PMN donors relative to a matched control group of apheresis platelet (PLT) donors. This study was a cross-sectional study stratified by age, sex, and lifetime apheresis experience at three sites. Individuals who had made at least five PMN donations preceded by corticosteroids were eligible. The presence of PSC was ascertained by grading digital retroillumination images of both lenses. A random subset of participants underwent clinical eye examinations by ophthalmologists masked as to study group. A logistic regression model was used to compute odds ratios (ORs). Granulocyte donors had given a mean of 13 donations (range, 5-39 donations) over a mean period of 8.5 years (range, 0.3-25.2 years). The mean corticosteroid exposure, in cortisol equivalents, was 2840 mg (range, 1067-9040 mg). Six of 89 PMN donors had photographic evidence of PSCs versus 4 of 89 controls. This difference was not significant (OR, 1.54; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.46-5.08). Five of 33 PMN donors and 3 of 30 PLT donors had evidence of PSC by clinical examination. This difference was also not significant (OR, 1.61; 95% CI, 0.35-7.39). This study does not support the hypothesis that corticosteroid stimulation of PMN donors is associated with an increased risk of developing a PSC.

Intravitreal triamcinolone-induced elevated intraocular pressure is associated with the development of posterior subcapsular cataract

To investigate the association between elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) and accelerated cataract formation in patients treated with intravitreal triamcinolone. Analysis of longitudinal data from a randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled trial of intravitreal triamcinolone for age-related macular degeneration (the Intravitreal Triamcinolone Study). Patients with phakic eyes who participated in a randomized clinical trial of intravitreal triamcinolone for age-related macular degeneration were studied. There were 57 phakic eyes in the treatment group and 54 phakic eyes in the control group. One eye per patient was studied. Four milligrams of intravitreal triamcinolone or 1 ml subconjunctival saline. Intraocular pressure rise of at least 5 mmHg (IOP responders) and progression of posterior subcapsular cataract by 2 or more grades using photographic standards from the Age Related Eye Disease Study. Progression of posterior subcapsular cataract (PSC) by 2 or more grades in the treatment group was significantly higher among 16 IOP responders (51% after 2 years) than among 37 nonresponders (3%; P<0.0001, log-rank test). There was no significant progression of PSC in the placebo group or the opposite eye of the treatment group. Progression of cortical cataracts also was significantly higher among responders than nonresponders (15% vs. 3%; P = 0.015, log-rank test). The progression of nuclear cataracts (13% vs. 3%) was not significantly different between IOP responders and nonresponders (P = 0.3, log-rank test). Although steroid-related cataracts are unlikely to develop in eyes that do not experience elevated IOP after intravitreal triamcinolone, those eyes that do also have a very high risk of rapidly experiencing posterior subcapsular lens opacification. This strong association suggests that the mechanism responsible for the development of steroid-induced PSC cataract and raised IOP may be similar.

Serum lipids and age-related lens opacities: A longitudinal investigation: The Framingham studies

Objective To investigate whether serum lipid/lipoprotein levels are independent risk factors for nuclear, cortical, or posterior subcapsular (PSC) cataracts. Design Case-control study nested in a cohort study. Participants and methods Eye examinations were conducted on surviving members of the Framingham Offspring Heart Study cohort from 1989 to 1991 (Framingham Offspring Eye Study) to determine cataract case-control status. Data from the Framingham Offspring Heart Study, including fasting serum total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglyceride measurements collected first in 1971, again approximately 8 years later, and approximately every 4 years thereafter were used to examine associations between lipid levels (mean levels across examinations and slope of measurements over time) and the presence of specific cataract types. The multistage analyses included 1869 persons aged 45 years and older. Main outcome measures A standardized grading system was used to grade cortical, nuclear, and PSC cataracts. Results The median age of participants was 55 years; 49% were males. In multivariable logistic regression models adjusted for potential confounders, fasting hypertriglyceridemia (≥250 mg/dl) was associated with an increased risk of PSC cataract in men ( P = 0.02). High-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels ≤35 mg/dl were associated with PSC cataract in men at a borderline level of significance ( P = 0.09). No associations were noted between serum lipid/lipoprotein variables and risk of cortical or nuclear cataract. Conclusions These findings suggest that hypertriglyceridemia, a potentially modifiable factor, is associated with the development of PSC cataract in men.

Dose Response to Inhaled Corticosteroids: Benefits and Risks

The therapeutic ratio for inhaled corticosteroid therapy is determined by the relative dose-response relationships for anti-asthmatic clinical efficacy and systemic adverse effects. In patients with mild to moderate asthma the steep part of the curve for clinical efficacy occurs at doses less than 0.8mg/day, with their being minimal evidence of systemic bioactivity at such doses. There may be sometimes further benefit in more severe asthmatics at doses above 0.8mg/day, although this is usually associated with the steep part of the curve for systemic adverse effects. The threshold dose above which the therapeutic ratio begins to decline will depend on the severity of asthma and individual glucocorticoid receptor sensitivity, and the particular pharmacological and pharmacokinetic properties of the drug. Each patient will therefore exhibit their own individual curve for the benefit to risk ratio with a given inhaled corticosteroid. The same relationships apply to children albeit at lower doses, with a watershed in the benefit to risk occurring above 0.4mg/day in the majority of cases. When comparing different inhaled corticosteroids, it is important to consider the unique interaction between the drug and the inhaler device, as the lung dose will determine both clinical efficacy and systemic bioactivity. Higher potency compounds such as fluticasone propionate may result in improved clinical efficacy, although this may be accompanied by a commensurate increase in systemic activity. Doseresponse data from meta-analysis shows that even when allowing for differences in potency, there is an excess of systemic activity with fluticasone propionate compared with other inhaled corticosteroids in terms of comparing therapeutically equivalent doses. Dose-response studies to simultaneously evaluate anti-asthmatic efficacy and systemic activity are required in order to properly evaluate the relative therapeutic ratios of the different available inhaled corticosteroids. There are also dose-related effects on bone metabolism using surrogate biochemical markers. Bone density measurements suggest an increased risk of osteoporosis and bone fracture related to cumulative exposure in susceptible patients receiving high-dose inhaled corticosteroid therapy. There is also evidence of a long-term accumulative effect for the development of posterior subcapsular cataracts. Bruising in the skin is a visible sign of increased collagen turnover that should prompt screening for other tissue-specific adverse effects. Growth should always be measured in any asthmatic child because it may be influenced by the disease process itself as well as by the exogenous corticosteroid therapy. Most of the available evidence, however, suggests that the catch-up phase after the pubertal growth spurt usually results in normal or near normal adult height. In underprivileged groups the combination of suboptimal asthma control and poor nutritional status are probably more important determinants of impaired growth than any putative effects of inhaled corticosteroid therapy. There is good evidence to show that inhaled corticosteroids, even at high dosage, exhibit a better therapeutic ratio than that of maintenance oral corticosteroid therapy. For patients who require persistently high doses of inhaled corticosteroid, however, regular annual or biennial checks should be made for effects on skin, eye, adrenal gland, bone, and growth. Alternative nonsteroidal treatment modalities such as long-acting β2-agonists, theophyllines, cromones, or antileukotrienes should be considered as a way of facilitating the use of lower doses of inhaled corticosteroid. The physician should always be aware of the potential for dose-related systemic effects and therefore strive to identify the lowest possible maintenance dose of inhaled corticosteroid because this will result in the smallest risk for long-term systemic effects.

Use of inhaled corticosteroids and the risk of cataracts.

The use of systemic corticosteroids is a risk factor for the development of posterior subcapsular cataracts, but the association between inhaled corticosteroids and cataracts is uncertain. We conducted a population-based, cross-sectional study of vision and common eye diseases in an urban area of the Blue Mountains, near Sydney, Australia. We recruited 3654 people 49 to 97 years of age; the participation rate was 82 percent. We collected information by questionnaire on potential risk factors for cataracts, including the current or prior use of inhaled corticosteroids (beclomethasone or budesonide). Photographs of the subjects' lenses were graded, without information on the subjects, to determine the presence and severity of cortical, nuclear, and posterior subcapsular cataracts. Three hundred seventy subjects reported using inhaled corticosteroids, 164 currently and 206 previously. Among these subjects, after adjustment for age and sex, there was a higher prevalence of nuclear cataracts (relative prevalence, 1.5; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.2 to 1.9) and posterior subcapsular cataracts (relative prevalence, 1.9; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.3 to 2.8) than among the subjects with no inhaled-corticosteroid use, but the prevalence of cortical cataracts was not significantly higher (relative prevalence, 1.1; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.9 to 1.3). Higher cumulative lifetime doses of beclomethasone were associated with higher risks of posterior subcapsular cataracts (P for trend <0.001); the highest prevalence (27 percent) was found in subjects whose lifetime dose was over 2000 mg (relative prevalence, 5.5). Adjusting for the use of systemic corticosteroids and other potential confounders had little effect on the magnitude of the associations. The associations with posterior subcapsular cataracts, but not those with nuclear cataracts, were less marked when the analyses were restricted to subjects who had never used systemic corticosteroids. The use of inhaled corticosteroids is associated with the development of posterior subcapsular and nuclear cataracts.

Failure to withstand oxidative stress induced by phospholipid hydroperoxides as a possible cause of the lens opacities in systemic diseases and ageing

Lipid peroxidation (LPO) is a causative factor of cataract. The increased concentrations of primary molecular LPO products (diene conjugates, lipid hydroperoxides) and end fluorescent LPO products, were detected in the lipid moieties of the aqueous humor samples obtained from patients with senile and complicated cataracts as compared to normal donors. The degrees of lens clouding were assessed quantitatively by measuring the optical density indices and areas of equidensities using digital image analysis. Human cataractous lenses showed decreased activity of glutathione peroxidase (GPX, catalyzing reduction of organic hydroperoxides including hydroperoxides of lipids). The apparent K m for tert-butylhydroperoxide was 0.434 mM for human normal and cataractous lens GPX. When lenses were exposed for 1 h at 37°C to linoleic acid hydroperoxide (LOOH, 0.5 mM) or egg phosphatidyl-choline hydroperoxide (PLOOH, 1 μmol per 112 μmol of phospholipid) in liposomes suspended in the incubation medium, normal, immature and mature human cataractous lenses showed a significant loss in the residual content of liberated LOOH to 62%, 38% or 17%, correspondingly, but little or no reduction was observed with PLOOH in liposomal membranes. Human, rabbit or mice transparent or immature cataractous lenses induced significantly more absorbance changes in conjugated diene, iodometric and TBA-reactive substance measurements when incubated with liposomal membranes which were decreased in the presence of free radical scavengers and antioxidant enzymes (EDTA, SOD, l-carnosine, chelated iron, catalase). Injection into the vitreous body of the rabbit eye of a suspension of liposomes prepared from phospholipids containing LPO products induced the development of posterior subcapsular cataract. Saturated liposomes did not cause clouding of the lens. This modelling of cataract was accompanied by accumulation of fluorescing LPO products in the vitreous body, aqueous humor and the lens and also by a fall in the concentration of GSH in the lens. The peroxidative damage to the lens cell membranes and biomolecules induced in the lack of reductive detoxification of phospholipid hydroperoxides is proposed as the triggering mechanism of cataractogenesis.

Posterior subcapsular cataract development in patients after bone marrow transplantation - a case report

Posterior subcapsular cataract development in patients after bone marrow transplantation - a case report

Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cataract Development

To evaluate risk factors for the development of posterior subcapsular cataract following bone marrow transplantation (BMT) and the results of patients undergoing cataract extraction. Retrospective case-control study. Tertiary referral center. Three hundred sixty-six patients (59% male, 41% female) undergoing BMT at one institution who survived for at least 1 month and underwent full ophthalmologic examination. Risk factors were then compared between patients who developed posterior subcapsular cataract and those who did not. Cataract surgery in six eyes of four patients. Formation of posterior subcapsular cataract. Data were obtained on all patients for type of BMT, pretransplantation regimen, underlying malignancy, demographic background, complications of BMT, and medications. Forty (10.9%) of 366 patients developed posterior subcapsular cataract. By univariate analysis, cataract formation was associated with total body irradiation, chronic graft-vs-host disease, the use of allogeneic bone marrow, and the total dose and duration of corticosteroid therapy. Multivariate analysis revealed that the total dose and duration of corticosteroid therapy were the most important risk factors, while total body irradiation was not a statistically significant risk factor. Cataract surgery was performed in six eyes of four patients, all of whom developed visual acuities of 20/40 or better. Posterior subcapsular cataract following BMT is uncommon and rarely requires surgery. Total dose and duration of corticosteroid therapy are the most important risk factors for development of cataract, but total body irradiation is not a statistically significant risk factor.

Relationship of cataract to radiation sensitivity.

Considerable exposure to radiation always causes posterior subcapsular cataract (PSC). This investigation was conducted to ascertain whether cellular hypersensitivity to radiation may be identified as a possible cause of cataract in persons exposed to low levels of radiation. Patients were studied in whom PSC had followed probable exposure to low levels of radiation or in whom PSC had developed before the age of 60 without known exposure. The patients with cataract were compared with age and sex matched controls without cataract. Radiation sensitivity was estimated by measuring clonal growth of skin fibroblasts and peripheral blood lymphocytes after exposure to graded doses of radiation and by measuring postirradiation reconstruction of separated nuclear material from lymphocytes. The results show variations in the level of radiation sensitivity between the patients, without significant differences from the controls. It is concluded that radiation hypersensitivity, as tested by the methods used in this study, is not normally associated with the development of posterior subcapsular cataract.

Antioxidant activity of l-carnosine, a natural histidine-containing dipeptide in crystalline lens

Lipid peroxidation was shown to be an initiatory cause of cataract development in some cases. It has been established that injection into the vitreous body of the rabbit eye of a suspension of liposomes prepared from phospholipids containing lipid peroxidation products induces the development of posterior subcapsular cataract. Such modelling of cataract is based on a type of clouding of the crystalline lens similar to that observed in cataract resulting from diffusion of toxic lipid peroxidation products from the retina to the lens through the vitreous body on degeneration of the photoreceptors. Saturated liposomes (prepared from dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine) did not cause clouding of the lens, which demonstrated the peroxide mechanism of the genesis of this form of cataract. Clouding of the lens was accompanied by accumulation of fluorescing lipid peroxidation products in the vitreous body, aqueous humor and the lens and also by a fall in the concentration of reduced glutathione in the lens. The ability of l-carnosine (β-alanyl- l-histidine) to interact directly with lipid peroxidation products suggested its anticataract properties. The effect of l-carnosine on inhibiting or reversing the formation of cataract induced by the administration of lipid peroxidation products was discovered. This phenomenon appeared to be related with normalization of the peroxide metabolism parameters in the crystalline lens. In view of the data, an aqueous solution of l-carnosine is physiologically acceptable in effective nonsurgical treatment for cataracts.

Lens opacity induced by lipid peroxidation products as a model of cataract associated with retinal disease

The cataractous lenses of pateints with retinitis pigmentosa have been studied by electron microscopy. The posterior subcapsular opacities showed common ultrastructural features. Large areas of disruption of the lens fibre pattern were observed which showed an increase in the number of fibre membranese per unit area. In many regions an elaborate and regular folding of membranes was noted which produced complex ‘figure-of-eight’ and ‘tramline’ patterns, as well as membranous lamellar bodies. Masses of various size globules were also identified. It has been established that injection into the vitreous body of the rabbit eye of a suspension of liposomes prepared from phospholipids containing lipid peroxidation products induces the development of posterior subcapsular cataract. Such modelling of cataract is based on a type of clouding of the crystalline lens similar to that observed in cataract resulting from diffusion of toxic lipid peroxidation products from the retina to the lens through the vitreous body on degeneration of the photoreceptors. Saturated liposomes (prepared from β-oleoyl-γ-palmitoyl- l-α-phosphatidylcholine) do not cause clouding of the lens, which demonstrates the peroxide mechanism of the genesis of this form of cataract. Clouding of the lens is accompanied by accumulation of flourescing lipid peroxidation products in the vitreous body, aqueous humor and the lens and also by a fall in the concentration of reduced glutathione in the lens. From the results it is concluded that lipid peroxidation may initiate the development of cataract.

Risk factors for the development of posterior subcapsular cataracts in patients with cystic fibrosis and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis treated with corticosteroids.

Posterior subcapsular cataracts (PSCC) occur in a high percentage of patients treated with long-term systemic corticosteroids (Naumann Gott, Apple DJ, eds: Pathology of the Eye. New York: Springer-Verlag, 1986). Fifteen patients with cystic fibrosis treated at Duke University Medical Center between January 1982 and October 1987 required prednisone for treatment of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA). Two of these patients (13.3%) were noted to have PSCC during prednisone therapy. We retrospectively examined factors associated with steroid administration that may have been predictive of the development of PSCC in these patients including: 1) steroid therapy for longer than 2 years, 2) steroid dose of 10 mg/day or greater for longer than 6 months, 3) steroid dose of 40 mg/day or greater for longer than 2 months, and 4) change in linear growth pattern during steroid therapy. None of these factors predicted the risk of developing PSCC. Therefore, we recommend that all patients with cystic fibrosis who receive steroids for the treatment of a concomitant condition such as ABPA should undergo careful examination for opacities of the ocular lens at each clinical visit regardless of the duration or dose of steroids.

Development of Posterior Subcapsular Cataracts in Asthmatic Children

Posterior subcapsular cataracts (PSCC) are known complications of systemic steroid therapy. Previous studies have not clearly identified the asthmatic children at risk for the development of PSCC. The possible factors associated with systemic steroid administration that may influence the development of PSCC in asthmatic children were evaluated: (1) duration of administered steroids, (2) dose, (3) number of steroid "bursts" in the preceding year, (4) degree of retardation of bone age, and (5) mode of administration (daily or alternate day) of steroids. Of the 40 asthmatic children requiring steroids, seven (17.5%) had PSCC. All of the children with PSCC had been receiving steroids on a daily or alternate-day basis for at least 2 years and all had markedly delayed bone age. Only one child with the concurrent occurrence of these two factors did not develop PSCC. None of the other risk factors considered could distinguish the group of patients with PSCC. It is concluded that asthmatic children receiving steroids for 2 years or longer and having markedly delayed bone age are at a greater risk for the development of PSCC.

Steroid side effects also seen in asthmatics

Physicians using high doses of oral corticosteroids to treat asthmatic patients should be aware that two of the known side effects of these agents may occur in this group of patients as well: weakening of bones and development of posterior subcapsular cataracts. In two recent separate studies of asthmatics taking 10 to 20 mg/day of prednisone, significant loss of trabecular bone and fractures were found in at least 10% of adults and initial cataractous changes in 30% of children. One investigative group reported preliminary findings that cataracts regressed when the children began using inhaled steroids. Loss of Bone. — At the Montreal meeting of the American Academy of Allergy and Immunology, Allen D. Adinoff, MD, described work that he undertook with Dwandolyn Reese and J. Roger Hollister, MD, at the National Jewish Hospital in Denver. From a retrospective examination of the records of 126 adult patients with asthma who were