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Calcium Supplements May Be Bad for Your Heart: Study
Posted 5 days ago by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, May 23 – Many older Americans take calcium supplements to prevent bone loss, but they may be significantly increasing their risk for a heart attack, a new study suggests. These supplements do not help prevent heart attacks or stroke as some previous research has suggested, the study authors say. But dietary calcium might reduce the risk, they noted. "While a moderately high intake of calcium from diet may go along with a lower risk of heart attack, this is not true for supplementary calcium intake," said lead researcher Sabine Rohrmann, from the division of cancer epidemiology and prevention at the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine at the University of Zurich in Switzerland. "Instead of taking calcium supplements, men and women who want to increase their calcium intake should rely on foods, such as low-fat dairy products or mineral water, [that are] rich in ... Read more
Related support groups: Osteoporosis, Dietary Supplementation, Tums, Caltrate, Prevention of Osteoporosis, Calcium Carbonate, Calcium Citrate, Citracal, Oyster, Oyster Shell, Os-Cal 500, Calcium Gluconate, Os-Cal, Titralac, Oysco 500
More Research Points to Long-Term Ills With Bone Drugs
Posted 7 days ago by Drugs.com
MONDAY, May 21 – Adding more weight to concerns about possible long-term dangers of osteoporosis drugs, a new study finds that people who take the drugs, known as bisphosphonates, may be at increased risk for atypical fractures of the thigh bone (femur). Osteoporosis is a bone-thinning disease that is common in older women. An atypical femoral fracture is an unusual type of break that often occurs spontaneously, without any major leg injury. In the new study, Swiss researchers looked at 477 patients, aged 50 and older, who were hospitalized with a femoral fracture. Of those patients, 39 had atypical fractures and 438 had a classic fracture (a more common fracture with a typical pattern). These groups were compared with 200 people without femoral fractures. The findings were published online May 21 in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine. The investigators found that 82 percent of ... Read more
Related support groups: Osteoporosis, Boniva, Fosamax, Alendronate, Actonel, Reclast, Prevention of Osteoporosis, Fracture, bone, Zometa, Aclasta, Atelvia, Zoledronic Acid, Pamidronate, Ibandronate, Risedronate
Certain Genetic Regions May Be Tied to Osteoporosis
Posted 15 Apr 2012 by Drugs.com
SUNDAY, April 15 – A large international group of researchers has identified 32 new genetic regions linked to fractures and osteoporosis. Variations in these regions could offer protection from, or greater risk for, bone-weakening disease, the investigators reported in a new study published in the April 15 online edition of Nature Genetics. The study authors added that their findings could lead to the development of new osteoporosis drugs. "We're learning that the genetic architecture of disease is very complex," one of the study's authors and the methodological leader of the consortium, Dr. John Ioannidis, chief of the Stanford Prevention Research Center, said in a university news release. The research, which involved 17 studies that compared common genetic variants in more than 100,000 people, pinpointed six regions linked to risk of fractures of the femur (thigh bone) or lower back. ... Read more
Related support groups: Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis Drugs May Lead to Eye Trouble: Study
Posted 2 Apr 2012 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, April 2 – First-time users of osteoporosis drugs called oral bisphosphonates may be at increased risk for serious inflammatory eye disease, a new study contends. Oral bisphosphonates, such as Fosamax and Actonel, are the most commonly prescribed class of drugs to prevent or slow osteoporosis, a disease that causes very weak bones. Previous studies have linked the drugs to problems such as unusual fractures, irregular heartbeat and esophageal and colon cancer. In addition, some case reports have shown an association between the drugs and inflammatory eye diseases – anterior uveitis and scleritis – that can cause serious vision impairment. In this new study, Canadian researchers compared nearly 11,000 first-time users of oral bisphosphonates and more than 920,000 non-users. First-time users had incidence rates of 29 per 10,000 person-years for uveitis and 63 per 10,000 ... Read more
Related support groups: Osteoporosis, Boniva, Fosamax, Alendronate, Actonel, Reclast, Prevention of Osteoporosis, Zometa, Aclasta, Atelvia, Zoledronic Acid, Pamidronate, Risedronate, Ibandronate, Skelid
Generic Boniva Approved for Osteoporosis
Posted 19 Mar 2012 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, March 19 – The first generic versions of the once-monthly osteoporosis drug Boniva (ibandronate) have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Osteoporosis, characterized by a thinning of the bones, is the most common type of bone disease, the agency said in a news release Monday. More common in postmenopausal women, it increases the risk of fracture, especially of the hip, spine and wrist. More than 40 million people in the United States have the disease or are at significant risk for it, the FDA said. Approvals to produce generic Boniva have been granted to: Apotex Inc., Orchid Healthcare and Mylan Pharmaceuticals. Generic drugs are medically equivalent to the brand-name versions and are subject to the same quality standards, the agency said. Generic Boniva will be accompanied by a guide that explains potential serious reactions, including esophagus problems; ... Read more
Related support groups: Osteoporosis, Boniva, Prevention of Osteoporosis, Ibandronate, Bondronat
FDA Approves Binosto, First and Only Effervescent Osteoporosis Treatment in a Buffered Solution
Posted 15 Mar 2012 by Drugs.com
FREIENBACH, Switzerland, March 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ – EffRx Pharmaceuticals SA today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Binosto (alendronate sodium) Effervescent Tablets, previously known as EX101, for the treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women, and as a treatment to increase bone mass in men with osteoporosis. EffRx anticipates that Binosto will be commercially available in the United States in the third quarter of 2012. Christer Rosen, Chairman & CEO of EffRx states: "We are very pleased to receive this approval from the FDA. Binosto is a breakthrough innovation for the treatment of osteoporosis, offering those patients who have difficulty with tablets the proven fracture risk reduction of alendronate in a pleasant tasting and easy-to-swallow buffered solution." Osteoporosis affects more than 200 million people in the 7 major markets ... Read more
Related support groups: Osteoporosis, Alendronate
Implanted Microchip Might Be Future of Drug Delivery
Posted 16 Feb 2012 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, Feb. 16 – Remote controls may not be for just appliances anymore. In a new small study, women with severe osteoporosis were implanted with a microchip that releases bone-building drugs at the push of a button, a delivery method that could someday become common for various health conditions. Roughly 1.5-by-2.5 inches in size, the microchip significantly improved patient compliance with a drug regimen that normally requires painful daily self-injections, study authors said. The clinical trial, conducted on seven osteoporosis patients in Denmark, was the first to test a wirelessly controlled microchip in this capacity. "It frees patients from the burden of managing their disease on a daily basis," said Robert Farra, co-author of the study and president and chief operating officer of MicroCHIPS Inc., the Waltham, Mass., company that funded and supervised the trial. "I think there ... Read more
Related support groups: Osteoporosis, Forteo, Teriparatide
Heart Failure, Osteoporosis Go 'Hand-in-Hand': Researchers
Posted 7 Feb 2012 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Feb. 7 – Heart failure is linked to thinning of the bones and an increased risk of fractures, a new study indicates. The findings suggest that aggressive screening for osteoporosis may be important for heart failure patients, the researchers said. They looked at data from about 45,500 adults who underwent bone mineral density testing for the first time and were followed for up to 10 years. Of those people, 1,841 had recent-onset heart failure. After the researchers adjusted for traditional osteoporosis risk factors, they concluded that heart failure was associated with a 30 percent increased risk of major fractures. The study will be published in the April issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. "Our study demonstrates for the first time that heart failure and thinning of bones go hand in hand," study author Dr. Sumit Majumdar, of the University of Alberta ... Read more
Related support groups: Osteoporosis, Heart Failure, Congestive Heart Failure, Fracture, bone
Some Women Can Go Longer Between Bone Checks: Study
Posted 18 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 18 – New research suggests that older women who've had a normal result on a bone density scan – a test that helps measure the strength of their bones – may be able to wait as long as 15 years before getting another scan. However, women who show any abnormal loss of bone generally need follow-up scans much sooner than that, the study authors noted. "Women who had good T-scores, who were in the top category, had such stable bones. It took about 15 years for 10 percent of them to develop osteoporosis," said study author Dr. Margaret Gourlay, an assistant professor in the department of family medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "But, if you start off with thinner bones, it takes less time to develop osteoporosis," said Gourlay. T-scores are a measure of bone health, where current bone scans are compared to the expected bone density of a healthy ... Read more
Related support groups: Osteoporosis, Prevention of Osteoporosis
Early Ovary Removal May Raise Arthritis, Osteoporosis Risk
Posted 8 Dec 2011 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, Dec. 8 – Women under the age of 45 who have their ovaries removed are more likely to be diagnosed with arthritis and have lower bone mineral density, a predictor of osteoporosis, a new study finds. Researchers analyzed data on more nearly 7,700 women from NHANES III, a nationally representative survey conducted between 1988 and 1994. About 45 percent of women who had their ovaries removed were diagnosed with arthritis, compared to 32 percent of women who did not have their ovaries removed. Women who had both ovaries removed before 45 and who never used hormone replacement therapy had on average lower bone mineral density than women with intact ovaries. Women without ovaries were also twice as likely to have very low bone mineral density. The study's authors concluded that women who have their ovaries removed for cancer prevention should be closely monitored for osteoporosis ... Read more
Related support groups: Osteoporosis, Oophorectomy
Whole-Body Vibration Doesn't Build Bone After All: Study
Posted 15 Nov 2011 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Nov. 15 – A novel treatment known as whole-body vibration doesn't appear to improve the bone health of postmenopausal women who are at high risk of developing osteoporosis. The treatment – which involves standing on a motorized, vibrating platform in the hope of building bone mass – showed promise in animals. But researchers, who hoped those results might translate to humans, found no benefit for women who used the platforms for a year, said study co-author Angela M. Cheung, an internist and director of the osteoporosis program at the University Health Network, University of Toronto. "People should use strategies that have been proven" to prevent bone loss and osteoporosis, Cheung said. These include exercise and calcium and vitamin D supplements, she said. The vibrating platform "doesn't do anything, not for bone anyway," she added. The theory behind whole-body vibration is ... Read more
Related support groups: Osteoporosis, Prevention of Osteoporosis
Health Tip: Signs of a Spinal Fracture
Posted 4 Nov 2011 by Drugs.com
-- A spinal fracture occurs when a small bone in the spine cracks, often a result of soft, brittle bones caused by osteoporosis. The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons lists these common warning signs of a spinal fracture: Back pain that occurs near the spot of the fracture. Pain that worsens when you stand or sit for an extended period. Pain that eases when you rest or lie down. Rarely, pain that appears to radiate to another spot, such as the legs or abdomen. Read more
Related support groups: Osteoporosis, Fracture, bone, Compression Fracture of Vertebral Column
Health Tip: Osteoporosis Can Affect Men, Too
Posted 8 Aug 2011 by Drugs.com
-- Although osteoporosis is more common in postmenopausal women, men are also vulnerable to thinning bones as they age. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons says risk factors for osteoporosis in men include: Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol or using tobacco. Not exercising regularly. Having a low body-mass index. Getting insufficient vitamin D and calcium. Taking certain medications, including anticonvulsants, oral glucocorticoids or heparin. Getting older. Having a family history of fractures related to fragile bones. Certain health conditions, including asthma, thyroid disorders or rheumatoid arthritis. Having low levels of certain hormones, including testosterone or estrogen. Read more
Related support groups: Osteoporosis
With Calcium, More May Not Be Better
Posted 24 May 2011 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, May 24 – Getting enough calcium for bone health is essential, but getting more than that doesn't appear to confer any additional benefit, Swedish researchers have found. With age, bones start to lose calcium, their major building block. This puts older people, especially women, at risk for fractures and osteoporosis, a disease in which the bones become fragile and break easily. To help prevent these devastating injuries, women with a low intake of calcium should increase their intake to avoid fractures caused by osteoporosis, "while women with a satisfactory intake should not," said lead researcher Eva Warensjo, a researcher in the department of surgical sciences section of orthopedics at Uppsala University. "Dietary intake of less than 700 milligrams (mg) of calcium a day was associated with a higher risk of both fractures and osteoporosis, while higher intakes did not ... Read more
Related support groups: Osteoporosis, Prevention of Osteoporosis, Prevention of Fractures
Heart Failure, Weak Bones Often Go Together, Study Finds
Posted 10 May 2011 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, May 10 – Osteoporosis is often undiagnosed and untreated in elderly heart failure patients, a new study finds. Canadian researchers looked at 623 heart failure patients, average age 69, and found that 12 percent of them had moderate to severe compression fractures in the spine, and 55 percent of those patients had multiple spinal fractures. Spinal fractures are a sign of osteoporosis, but only 15 percent of the heart failure patients with spinal fractures were being treated for osteoporosis, the investigators found. After accounting for a number of other risk factors for osteoporosis, the researchers concluded that heart failure patients who also had a heart rhythm disorder called atrial fibrillation were twice as likely to have spinal fractures as those with normal heart rhythms. The study is published May 10 in the journal Circulation: Heart Failure. "Osteoporosis is an ... Read more
Related support groups: Osteoporosis, Heart Failure, Congestive Heart Failure
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Prevention of Osteoporosis, Osteopenia, Fracture, bone, Osteomalacia
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