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Prevention of Fractures Blog

Blog (13)

Stopping Bone Drug Cuts Risk of Second Thigh Fracture: Study

Posted 4 days ago by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Feb. 9 – People who suffer a rare type of fracture of the thigh bone while taking bone-building drugs known as bisphosphonates can cut the risk of a second fracture by discontinuing the medication, a new study says. Bisphosphonates such as Fosamax, Boniva and Actonel are often prescribed for postmenopausal women or people taking steroid medications to prevent or slow the bone-weakening disease osteoporosis. But the drugs have been linked to a small risk of unusual fractures of the femur. One out of 1,000 taking the drugs for six years will suffer such a fracture, the researchers said. For the study, the researchers examined femur fracture records for patients older than 45 from a large California insurer. Over two years, they found 126 patients reportedly taking bisphosphonates suffered an atypical femur fracture. Of those patients, 41.2 percent who continued taking the drugs ... Read more

Vitamin D Helps Bone Health Only With Calcium: Report

Posted 19 Dec 2011 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Dec. 19 – A new analysis on the effects of vitamin D on bone health shows that it cuts fracture risk in older adults, but only when taken with calcium supplements. The review of nearly 50 studies on vitamin D – present in a small number of foods and produced naturally in the skin with sun exposure – by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) also indicates that it's too soon to tell if vitamin D supplements can help prevent cancer. Report author Mei Chung, assistant director of the Evidence-based Practice Center at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, said she wasn't able to advise specific recommended doses based on the review, which concluded that a daily vitamin D regimen of between 300 and 1,100 international units (IUs) combined with 500 to 1,200 milligrams (mg) of calcium reduces fracture risk in those over 65. "I think vitamin D likely has more benefits than we ... Read more

Weight-Loss Surgery Linked to Rise in Fracture Risk

Posted 5 Jun 2011 by Drugs.com

SATURDAY, June 4 – The risk of fractures after weight-loss surgery may be even higher than previously thought, a new study suggests. Prior research has shown that people who undergo surgery to lose weight, such as gastric bypass, have an increased risk for bone fractures. One study, for example, showed a 1.8-fold increased risk of fracture compared to the general population. But further analysis showed the risk was actually closer to 2.3 times greater, according to the study to be presented Saturday at the Endocrine's Society's annual meeting in Boston. Researchers noted the odds of breaking the feet or hands are even higher – about three times higher than normal. "A negative effect on bone health that may increase the risk of fractures is an important consideration for people considering bariatric surgery and those who have undergone bariatric surgery," said study author Kelly ... Read more

Related support groups: Surgery, Obesity, Prevention of Fractures

Could a Woman's Wrinkles Predict Risk of Fractures?

Posted 5 Jun 2011 by Drugs.com

SATURDAY, June 4 – As if facial wrinkles didn't have a bad enough rap, a new study suggests that the worse a woman's wrinkles are in early menopause, the lower her bone density. That is not to say that wrinkled skin is being cited as causing poorer skeletal health, merely that the two factors are associated. But because poor bone density can lead to broken bones, a link between wrinkles and bone density – if confirmed – might prompt development of an inexpensive way to identify postmenopausal women at highest risk for fractures, the researchers say. "We hypothesized that because skin and bone share common tissue architecture, the physical attributes of skin in menopausal women will relate to bone density and bone quality," said study principal author Dr. Lubna Pal, a reproductive endocrinologist and associate professor at Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn. "And what we found ... Read more

Related support groups: Facial Wrinkles, Prevention of Fractures

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

New Osteoporosis Screening Recommendations Issued

Posted 18 Jan 2011 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Jan. 17 – The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has just expanded its osteoporosis screening recommendation to include younger women who have risk factors for the debilitating disease, which causes bones to become abnormally brittle and prone to fracture. The newly released guidelines expand routine screening to include all women 65 and older as well as younger women at increased risk of bone fractures. "This [new recommendation] extends it down to any postmenopausal-age woman whose risk is the same as a 65-year-old," said Dr. Ned Calonge, chair of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). One example, he said, might be a postmenopausal woman not yet 65 who weighs under 125 pounds, smokes, drinks and has parents with a history of bone fractures. All of those factors – thin frame, smoking, excess alcohol and family history – boost the risk of osteoporosis, he ... Read more

Related support groups: Prevention of Osteoporosis, Prevention of Fractures

Study Sees Link Between Low Salt Levels, Fracture Risk in Older Adults

Posted 22 Nov 2010 by Drugs.com

SATURDAY, Nov. 20 – New research links lower-than-normal levels of sodium (salt) in the blood to a higher risk of broken bones and falls in older adults. Even mildly decreased levels of sodium can cause problems, the researchers contend. "Screening for a low sodium concentration in the blood, and treating it when present, may be a new strategy to prevent fractures," study co-author Dr. Ewout J. Hoorn, of Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, said in a news release from the American Society of Nephrology. There's still a mystery: There doesn't appear to be a link between osteoporosis and low sodium levels, known as hyponatremia, so it's not clear why lower sodium levels may lead to more fractures and falls, the study authors said. The researchers examined the medical records for six years of more than 5,200 Dutch people over the age of 55. The study authors wanted to ... Read more

Related support groups: Hyponatremia, Prevention of Fractures

Prior Fractures Could Raise Older Women's Odds for Osteoporosis

Posted 23 Aug 2010 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Aug. 23 – Older women who suffered bone fractures earlier in life may be at higher risk for osteoporosis today, a new study suggests. When these women develop osteoporosis, their loss in health-related quality of life becomes similar to that experienced by people with arthritis, lung disease, diabetes, and other chronic diseases, said the international team of researchers. The findings are from the Global Longitudinal Study of Osteoporosis in Women (GLOW), led by the University of Massachusetts Medical School. It includes women in 10 countries: Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. The team interviewed 60,000 women over the age of 55. They found that 90 percent of those with fractures suffered more pain, depression, mobility problems, or anxiety. Spine, hip, and upper leg fractures resulted in the ... Read more

Related support groups: Osteoporosis, Prevention of Osteoporosis, Prevention of Fractures

Calcium Supplements Linked to Boost in Heart Attack Risk

Posted 29 Jul 2010 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, July 29 – Although millions of people take calcium supplements to boost bone health and ward off osteoporosis, New Zealand researchers say the supplements have little effect on bone strength and contribute to a small increase in the risk for heart attack among older people. Rather than relying on calcium supplements, the researchers suggest that people get their required calcium, if possible, from foods. "When you look at major trials where people have been randomly assigned to take calcium or placebo, there is an increase in the risk of heart attack in the people who were randomly assigned to take calcium," said the study's lead researcher, Dr. Ian Reid, from the Department of Medicine in the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences at the University of Auckland. "The extent of that increased risk is enough to completely counterbalance the small beneficial effect that calcium ... Read more

Daily Dose of Vitamin D Helps Prevent Falls in Seniors

Posted 16 Jul 2010 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Oct. 2 – A daily high-dose vitamin D supplement can reduce the risk of falls in seniors, say researchers who reviewed the findings of eight fall prevention studies involving participants aged 65 and older. The analysis revealed that taking between 700 and 1,000 international units (IU) of supplemental vitamin D per day (vitamin D2 or D3) reduces falls by 19 percent and by up to 26 percent with vitamin D3. The beneficial effect was significant within two to five months of starting treatment, extended beyond 12 months, and was independent of age, type of dwelling, or additional calcium supplementation, the researchers noted. The study, published in the Oct. 2 online edition of BMJ, concluded that all people aged 65 and older should take at least 700 to 1,000 IU of supplemental vitamin D a day to reduce the risk of falling. Higher doses may be even more effective, which should be ... Read more

Once-A-Year Vitamin D Megadose Ups Fracture Risk: Study

Posted 12 May 2010 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, May 11 – A large once-a-year dose of vitamin D, while convenient, doesn't offer the same protection against falls and fractures in older women that smaller, more frequent doses may, a new study has found. What's more, the research suggests that when older women take a high annual dose of vitamin D, it actually increases the risk of falls by 15 percent and the risk of fractures by 26 percent, compared to women taking a placebo. "Until further evidence to the contrary is obtained, high-dose vitamin D should be avoided, at least in older women who are not vitamin D deficient," said the study's senior author, Geoffrey Nicholson, a professor of medicine and head of the department of clinical and biomedical sciences at the University of Melbourne in Australia. Both vitamin D and calcium are vital to the production of new bone, according to the U.S. National Institute of Arthritis ... Read more

Women's Height Loss May Indicate Spinal Fracture

Posted 22 Mar 2010 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, March 22 – Height loss in postmenopausal women could be a sign of a spinal fracture, says a new study that included 8,610 women over the age of 60. "We observed a mean loss of height of 4.5 cm [1.8 inches] since early adulthood in a large population of postmenopausal women in primary care practices," wrote Dr. Karine Briot, of Cochin Hospital and Paris Descartes University in France, and her colleagues. "We found the risk of an existing vertebral fracture was significantly higher among patients with a height loss of at least 4 cm [1.6 inches]." Measurement of height loss could be an accurate method for detecting vertebral fractures in postmenopausal women, they concluded. The researchers noted that the actual height of the women was different from what the women reported. This means, they said, that doctors need to measure postmenopausal women's height instead of relying on ... Read more

Vitamin D Plus Calcium Guards Against Fractures

Posted 12 Jan 2010 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Jan. 12 – Daily supplements of calcium and vitamin D reduce the risk of fractures in women and men of all ages, even if they've suffered previous fractures, but vitamin D supplements alone don't offer significant protection, a new study has found. Researchers analyzed data from 68,517 people, average age 70, who took part in seven studies that looked at the effect vitamin D or vitamin D plus calcium had on reducing fractures. The analysis revealed that vitamin D given alone in doses of 10 micrograms to 20 micrograms per day doesn't prevent fractures. However, calcium and vitamin D given together reduce the risk of hip fractures, total fractures and possibly vertebral fractures. The study, published online Jan. 12 in BMJ, called for additional studies of vitamin D, especially vitamin D given at higher doses without calcium. There's a growing consensus that a combination of ... Read more

Fractures in Older Adults Up Death Risk

Posted 3 Feb 2009 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Feb. 3 – Any bone fracture that occurs in people over age 60 needs to be taken seriously, a new study concludes. That's because the Australian researchers found the risk of dying goes up for at least five years following any low-trauma fracture, and for at least 10 years after a hip fracture. "All low-trauma fractures are associated with premature mortality, not just hip fractures," said study senior author Dr. Jacqueline Center, an associate professor and senior research officer at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, in Sydney. "Thus, all low-trauma fractures in the elderly need to be regarded as important events," she noted, adding, "Anti-osteoporosis treatment – assuming a low bone density – should be instituted following any low-trauma fracture to at least decrease the risk of a subsequent fracture, although we have yet to see whether it will decrease mortality." ... Read more

Related support groups: Fracture, bone, Prevention of Fractures