Fracture risk in osteoporosis reduced by 40% with antiosteoporotic therapy

Antiosteoporotic therapy can substantially reduce risk of further fractures in people who have already experienced a break, says a new study in the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.

Experts studied 31,069 people who were at least 50 years old and had sustained a fragility fracture over a three-year period.

About 3,200 people were given antiosteoporotic therapy in an effort to increase their bone mineral density and slow or stop the loss of bone tissue. They were compared to a similar number of people who were not treated. Those in the antiosteoporotic therapy group experienced:
• 34% reduction in secondary hip fractures;
• 43% reduction in spinal fractures;
• 50% reduction in wrist fractures;
• 52% reduction in upper arm fractures;
• 40% reduction in all fracture types combined.

So the initiation of antiosteoporotic therapy after a fragility fracture prevented another fracture in one out of every 27 people treated over the three years.

“The study highlights the public health benefits for improved prevention of secondary fragility fractures,” says Dr Harpreet Bawa, who led the study. “This knowledge can help patients make an informed decision about their treatment options after a first-time fragility fracture.”

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Image credit: jan