Corticosteroids Linked to Debilitating Joint Disease

First Study to Show Causal Association

A new study has found a causal link between high doses of corticosteroids and joint disease, in patients treated with steroids during the 2003 SARS outbreak in China.

Published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, the study is the first to establish a link between the dose of steroids use and the severity of joint disease. In a review of over 100 patients treated with corticosteroids for SARS, nearly 40% went on to develop osteonecrosis.

Osteonecrosis is a condition caused when the blood supply to the bones is poor or cut off completely, which causes them to die. The condition can be devastating when it affects the hip, knee, shoulder or ankle, and in later stages can mean total joint replacement.

The authors of the study concluded that SARS patients should be treated with low dose corticosteroids, because 'the number of osteonecrotic lesions was directly related to the dosage'.

SEPT-02-08: SARS Treatment Causes Joint Disease [MEDICAL NEWS TODAY: CORTICOSTEROIDS CAUSE JOINT DISEASE ]

Legal Help

If you or a loved one has suffered chronic joint disease and suspect it may be related to corticosteroid exposure, please click the link below to send your complaint to a lawyer to evaluate your claim at no cost or obligation.
Published on Sep-2-08