Tomorrow: Bone Loss Caused By Steroid Therapy Topic of Yale Medical School Conference

Prevention of bone loss caused by steroid treatments for such diseases as asthma and arthritis will be the topic of a conference given by the Yale School of Medicine.

Prevention of bone loss caused by steroid treatments for such diseases as asthma and arthritis will be the topic of a conference given by the Yale School of Medicine.

The conference will be held on Friday, Nov. 5 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the New Haven Lawn Club, 193 Whitney Ave.

Steroids, even in modest doses, cause loss of bone. The deterioration can be rapid and can lead to disabling, even life-threatening fractures. These powerful drugs are used to treat many inflammatory conditions such as asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. They are also used to treat organ transplant patients. Although steroids can save the lives of patients with these conditions, they are also capable of causing considerable damage throughout the body and particularly to the skeleton.

Steroid-induced bone disease is an important and increasing clinical problem, says Karl Insogna, M.D., associate professor of medicine and director of the Yale Bone Center. “For too long, its presence has been overlooked, in part because little could be done to prevent it, but this is no longer the case,” Insogna said. “Effective and relatively simple means now exist to diagnose, prevent and treat bone loss due to steroid use.”

Insogna believes that physicians can do more to prevent and treat the condition. He developed this conference to educate health care providers. The conference will feature new methods for treating bone loss caused by steroids.

Conference topics include:

* Pathogenesis of Steroid-Induced Osteoporosis, Karl Insogna, M.D.
* Bone Loss in Asthma and Rheumatologic Disorders, Marianne Friere, M.D.
* Transplant-Related Bone Loss, Elizabeth Shane, M.D.
* Treatment of Steroid-Induced Bone Loss, John Orloff, M.D.

The conference is a 2.5 credit continuing medical education course. For more information and directions, please call Janice Gore at (203) 785-4578.

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Media Contact

Karen N. Peart: karen.peart@yale.edu, 203-980-2222