Clinical risk factors associated with the development of osteoporosis and vertebral fractures were evaluated in patients with asthma in relation to sex, age, and dose of glucocorticoids (GC). In 75 asthmatic patients including 44 steroid-dependent asthma, the bone mineral density (BMD) of the lumber spines was measured by quantitative computed tomography (QCT). Thirty five patients of them were followed up with radiographs over a period of 0.5 to 4 years (average: 2.6±1.3 years). The BMD was significantly lower in older (p