Use of inhaled corticosteroids was linked with an increased risk of pneumonia in a study of individuals with asthma.

In the study of 152,412 asthma patients (of whom 1928 had a pneumonia event during follow-up), current use of inhaled corticosteroids was associated with an 83% increased risk of being hospitalized for pneumonia.

This risk was greatest with higher doses, and dispensing of 500 µg or more of fluticasone-equivalent per day was associated with a 96% increase. Increased risks were seen with both budesonide (167% increase in risk) and fluticasone (93% increase in risk).

Source: WileyFull bibliographic information:
Christina J. Qian, Janie Coulombe, Samy Suissa, Pierre Ernst. Pneumonia Risk in Asthma Patients using Inhaled Corticosteroids: A Quasi-Cohort Study. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.