Statins Could Prevent Fractures
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Statins are widely used to treat high cholesterol, but now new research finds the drugs may play a role in preventing fractures. However, researchers say further studies are needed to confirm this association.
For the current research, investigators from the University of California, San Francisco, analyzed data on statin use and fracture rates from four large studies involving older women. They also summarized the results of eight observational studies and two clinical trials. The statin use ranged from 1 percent of participants to more than 26 percent in the various studies.
Researchers then took into account age, body mass index and estrogen use and adjusted the data. They found a trend towards fewer hip fractures and nonspine fractures in the statin users in the four large studies. In the observational studies, the analysis indicated a 57-percent reduction in hip fracture and a 31-percent reduction in nonspine fractures among statin users. However, the analysis of the clinical trials did not indicate a protective effect with statin use for hip and nonspine fractures.
Study authors write, "These finding build on the recent reports that statins increase bone formation in rodents and suggest statins could be may be useful agents for osteoporosis." However, researchers say clinical trials testing the association between statins and fracture reduction still need to be done.
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SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine, 2004;164:146-152
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