High-dose inhaled corticosteroid use associated with increased cardiovascular risk in patients with asthma

Anna Von Bülow, Susanne Hansen, Patrik Sandin, Olivia Ernstsson, Alexandra Cooper, Kirk Geale, Lauri Lehtimäki, Charlotte Ulrik, Bernt Bøgvald Aarli, Pinja Ilmarinen, Sylvia Packham, Ghada Hassan, Vibeke Backer, Alan Altraja, Helena Backman, Paula Kauppi, Asger Sverrild, Valentyna Yasinska, Maritta Kilpeläinen, Arja ViinanenJussi Karjalainen, Apostolos Bossios, Celeste Porsbjerg, Hannu Kankaanranta, Christer Janson

Research output: Contribution to journalConference abstract in journalResearch

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Oral corticosteroids (OCS) associate with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, it is not clear whether use of high-dose inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) also links to increased CVD risk in asthma patients

AIM: Using Swedish data from the NORdic Dataset for aSThmA Research (NORDSTAR) cohort we examined whether current high-dose ICS exposure is associated with CVD

METHODS: This was an observational cohort study including asthma patients ≥18 years between 2009-19. A Cox regression model was used to examine the association between current ICS exposure (daily µg budesonide equivalent as a time-dependent predictor) and incident CVD using ICS-free patients as the reference group. Covariates included age, sex, and OCS dose

RESULTS: At study enrollment, 468,940 asthma patients were included. Overall, 62,971 developed CVD. A dose-response relationship was identified between overall CVD risk and high-dose ICS: Hazard ratio (HR) 1.20 (95%CI 1.17-1.24) for daily ICS dose 800-1599 µg increasing to HR 1.63 (95%CI 1.53-1.74) with >2400µg. Likewise, the risk of several CVD subtypes were associated with high-dose ICS (800-1599 µg): ischemic heart disease HR 1.21 (95%CI 1.13-1.3); atrial fibrillation HR 1.34 (95%CI 1.25-1.43) and heart failure HR 1.53 (95%CI 1.43-1.63). HRs increased further for ICS >1600 and >2400 µg daily. No increase in risk was found with ICS doses below 800 µg daily

CONCLUSION: We identified a dose-dependent risk of current high-dose ICS use on CVD onset. This highlights the importance of assessing CVD risk in patients with severe asthma. Further studies exploring this association are warranted.
Original languageEnglish
JournalThe European Respiratory Journal
Volume64
Issue numberSuppl 68
Pages (from-to)PA4495
Number of pages1
ISSN0903-1936
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2024

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