Statins use associated with lower risk of fractures


Statins use associated with lower risk of fractures
September 27, 2005
CHICAGO - In a large study of elderly, predominately male
veterans, statin use was associated with a 36 percent reduction in
risk of fracture when compared with no lipid-lowering therapy,
according to a study in the September 26 issue of Archives of
Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.


Several biological mechanisms have been proposed to explain an
association between statins and bone health, including reduced
inflammation and promotion of new bone growth through improvements
in small blood vessel function, according to background information
in the article. Previous studies have shown an association between
statin use and fracture reduction. However, most studies have been
of populations of women even though many statin users are elderly
men with heart disease. The authors suggest that assessing this
relationship in a male population would be especially relevant.


Richard E. Scranton, M.D., M.

P.H., of the Massachusetts Veterans
Epidemiology Research and Information Center, Boston, and
colleagues analyzed data from patients who received care in the
V.A.

health care system between January 1, 1998, and June 30, 2001
to compare the rate of bone fractures in individuals using statins
versus those not taking statins. Information on individuals' health
status, race, age and body mass index (BMI) as well as other
medications that might be associated with bone fracture were
included in the analysis. Of the 91,052 individuals included in the
study, 28,063 were prescribed only statins, 2,195 were prescribed
nonstatin lipid-lowering medications alone, and the remaining
60,794 were not prescribed any lipid-lowering medications during
the period of the study.
"More than 28,000 of these individuals were using statins,
making this study one of the largest to evaluate the association
between statins and fractures," the researchers report.

"The use of
statins in this study was associated with a 36 percent reduction in
fracture risk compared with no lipid-lowering therapy and a 32
percent risk reduction when compared with other lipid-lowering
therapy. These findings did not deviate significantly after
adjustment for various covariates, including BMI."
"In our large cohort of mostly male veterans, statin therapy was
associated with a reduction in fractures," the authors conclude.
Our study represents one of the largest studies to date of
individuals receiving statins and the evaluation of fracture risk.


Although we were limited in adjusting for all known confounders,
this study provides additional information that fuels the debate of
whether statins protect individuals against fractures. Further
research is necessary to confirm or refute our findings.\
JAMA and Archives Journals

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