A widely used steroid drug doubles the risk for heart disease, even at low doses, a major new study has discovered.
Taking a daily dose of less than 5mg of prednisolone, a glucocorticoid, doubles the risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) after just one year—and those taking the 25mg dose face a six-fold increased risk.
The drug is prescribed to reduce inflammation to treat rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), as well as allergies and skin conditions. Its marketing names include Orapred, PediaPred and Millipred.
Smokers and people who are obese are at special risk, say researchers from Leeds University, who analysed the medical records of 87,794 patients with one of several different types of inflammatory disease.
They say that the ‘safe’ dose for prednisolone may have to be lowered further, especially if a patient is taking the drug long-term. Even then, they need to be constantly monitored for any early signs of CVD, which include heart failure, stroke, sudden heart attack and arterial disease.
(Source: PLOS Medicine, 2020; doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1003432)
