Statins May Help Prevent Bone Fractures

[Guest guest]

Statins May Help Prevent Bone Fractures Use of Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs Might Fight Osteoporosis

By WarnerWebMD Medical News

Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MDon Monday, January 26, 2004

>

Email to a friend

>

Printer-friendly version

Jan. 26, 2004 -- Taking statins to help your heart may also benefit your bones.

A review of recent studies on statins shows use of the cholesterol-lowering drugs may reduce the risk of bone fractures in older women. But the results aren't conclusive.

Researchers say the findings suggest that clinical trials to test the effects of statins on preventing bone-weakening diseases like osteoporosis are needed.

Statins Appear to Reduce Fracture Risks

The study, published in the Jan. 26 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, looked at combined data on statin use and bone fractures from four large studies of older women.

After taking into account factors that are known to affect fracture risk, such as age, body mass index (BMI), and estrogen use, the review showed that statin users had a 38%-81% lower risk of hip bone fractures and a 5%-51% lower risk of nonspinal fractures.

An additional analysis of eight other studies with information on statin use and documented fractures confirmed those findings. Those studies showed that statin use was associated with a 57% reduction in the number of hip fractures reported and a 31% reduction in nonspinal fractures.

However, a review of two clinical trials on statins did not show a protective effect of the cholesterol-lowering drugs in reducing hip or nonspinal fractures.

"These findings build on the recent reports that statins increase bone formation in rodents and suggest that statins may be useful agents for osteoporosis," write researcher s C. Bauer, MD, of the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues. "Controlled trials specifically designed to test the effect of statins on skeletal metabolism and fracture are needed."

SOURCE: Bauer, D. Archives of Internal Medicine, Jan. 26, 2004; vol 164: pp 146-152. © 2003 WebMD Inc. All rights reserved.

Physician | Corporate Contact Us | Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy and Agreement © 1996-2004 WebMD Corporation. All rights reserved.

WebMD is a licensee of the TRUSTe Privacy Program and subscribes to the HONcode principles of the Health On the Net Foundation

AOL Health Main ----------------------------------- Diseases & Conditions Pharmacy & Medicines Doctors & Insurance Diet & Nutrition Fitness & Exercise Alternative Health Health & Beauty Sexual Health Mental Health Pregnancy Clinical Trials Health News Chats & Boards ----------------------------------- Women's Health Men's Health Children's Health Aging Well ----------------------------------- AOL Help