The risk of osteoporosis increases as we age, increasing the risk of fractures. A group of medications known as "bisphosphonates" are sometimes used to treat osteoporosis. These medications increase bone mineral density, which strengthens bones and is thought to make them less likely to fracture.
‘Women who took bisphosphonates for 10-13 years had higher fracture rates compared to women who took the pills for 2 years.’
Tweet it Now
Studies have shown that the risk for bone fractures lessens when women with low bone mineral density take these medications for between 1 and 4 years. However, little is known about whether taking bisphosphonates for longer periods of time has the same effect. Osteoporosis is a disease that causes thinning of the bones, loss of bone density, and increasingly fragile bones. By 2020, an estimated 61 million American adults will have low bone mineral density. In fact, 50% of women over the age of 50 will experience a bone fracture due to osteoporosis.
Recently, a team of researchers examined whether older women taking bisphosphonates for 10-13 years had fewer bone fractures than older women with similar fracture risks who took these medicines only briefly.
The research team examined data from the Women's Health Initiative study, a large study that began in 1993 to develop ways to reduce heart disease, cancer, and fractures in women after menopause. The researchers looked at information from 5,120 women within the study. These women were bisphosphonate users with a high risk for bone fractures.
More than 95% of participants in the study were over age 70, with an average age of about 80. The length of time the women had taken bisphosphonates when the study started was as follows:
- 13% for 2 years
- 34% for 3-5 years
- 20% for 6-9 years
- 33% for 10-13 years
Advertisement
Therefore, long-term bisphosphonate users should see their healthcare providers regularly to decide how long to continue bisphosphonate therapy in their individual cases.
Advertisement