CHANGES IN BONE MARKERS IN CHILDREN WITH ASTHMA DURING INHALED BUDESONIDE AND NEDOCROMIL TREATMENTS

We evaluated serum and urinary markers of bone turnover in 14 children with asthma during inhaled budesonide and nedocromil treatments. Both the markers of formation (serum carboxy- and amino-terminal propeptid es of type I procollagen and serum osteocalcin) and the markers of deg radation (serum carboxy-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen and ur inary pyridinium cross-links) decreased (p < 0.05) during budesonide t reatment for 6 months. During inhaled nedocromil treatment (for the fo llowing 6 months), the markers returned to the normal levels. These tr ansient decreases in the markers of both formation and degradation of bone suggest that inhaled budesonide may slightly decrease the bone tu rnover rate. However, normal ''coupling'' between formation and degrad ation seemed to operate, e.g. a change in one resulted in a correspond ing change in the other, so that net bone lass did not necessarily occ ur.