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Several promising studies show that drugs used to lower
cholesterol may also benefit patients with
osteoporosis, a degenerative bone disease.
The drugs, called statins, were shown to significantly decrease the
incidence of hip fractures among patients over 50 years of age. Hip
fractures are a common problem among women and men with
osteoporosis. Although researchers say that statins need to be
tested in larger
clinical
trials
before
they can be considered for osteoporosis patients, taking one pill to
reduce both
heart disease and osteoporosis would be a
major medical breakthrough.
In one study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, lead
researcher Christoph Meier, PhD found that men and women between the ages of 50 and 89 who
were currently on statins were less likely to experience hip fractures. Another study of
6110 individuals aged 65 and older, (also published in the Journal of the American
Medical Association) found that the use of statins was
associated with a 43% to 50% reduction in hip fracture risk compared
to patients who never took statins.
It is estimated that 8 million Americans currently use
statins to help lower their cholesterol. Statins are marketed in the
United States as Mevacor, Lipitor, Zocor, Lescol, and Pravachol.
Most patients tolerate statins well; however, liver complications or
muscle inflammation are two possible side effects of the drugs.
Statins work by blocking the production of cholesterol, which can
build-up in arteries and lead to heart disease. Statins have also
been found to reduce the risk of
stroke and prolong the life of heart
attack patients.
Researchers believe that statins may help patients with
osteoporosis by actually increasing bone mineral density. Drugs
currently used to treat osteoporosis slow bone erosion rather than
increasing bone density.
Although recent studies show promising effects of statins on osteoporosis, researchers
are quick to point out that further research is still needed. Because the studies
published in the Journal of the American Medical Association
involved analyzing medical records, some researchers say that the
findings may not be the same when statins are tested in randomized
clinical trials.
According to Steven Cummings, MD and Douglas Bauer, MD, who wrote an accompanying
editorial in the Journal of the American Medical Association, "recommendations about prescription of statins to
prevent fractures must await the results of rigorous randomized
trials that are large enough to determine whether currently approved
or new statins improve bone mass and reduce the risk of fractures.
In the meantime, patients with osteoporosis should be treated with
agents that have been proven to reduce the risk of
fractures."
Current treatments for osteoporosis include hormone replacement
therapy
and
other drug therapies such as raloxifene (brand name, Evista),
alendronate (brand name, Fosamax),
calcitonin (brand name, Miacalcin), and
risedronate
sodium (brand
name, Actonel).
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