Cosmetic & Plastic Surgery Articles
FRACTURE-REDUCING DRUGS
There is new research out tonight that shows two common types of blood pressure medicines can have a significant impact at protecting aging bones from fracture risk. The study focuses on two types of blood pressure medicines, beta-blockers and a commonly used class of water pills called thiazide diuretics. Either used alone or together, this very large study shows they do indeed reduce fracture risk.
“I’ve seen a lot of people who’ve suffered from compression fractures, and I certainly want to do everything I can to protect myself from fracture risk.” Mary Toland, who’s 60, suffers from osteoporosis, thinning of the bones, and it’s been frustrating trying to find a medicine that will protect her from fracture risk, and not cause side effects. “I could not go on estrogen since I had breast cancer. I went on the once a week Fosamax, and I got esophageal erosions,” says Mary.
But there may be some new hope for the millions of North Americans who suffer from osteoporosis.
New research in the latest Journal of the American Medical Association shows the beta-blockers propranolol, either alone or along with one of a group of water pills called thiazide diuretics, can markedly reduce an individual’s fracture risk.
The large trial involving more than 150,000 individuals looked at the records of patients, some of whom had and some of whom did not have a history of fracture risk. Those who used either beta-blockers alone for six months or longer, or the water pills alone had between a 20 and 23 percent lower risk of fracture.
Among those who used both medicines, the fracture risk was even lower, reduced to almost 30%.
Dr. Stuart Weinerman, an endocrinologist at North Shore University Medical Center, says, “It’s very interesting, beta-blockers which are a commonly used class of drugs to control high blood pressure and heart problems, may have effects directly on bone cells, and significantly help control fracture risk.”
In fact, in lab rats, beta-blockers increased bone formation in female rats with no ovaries. And another previous study in women showed those who used beta-blockers had a 30 percent lower risk of having hip and forearm fractures.
It’s believed the beta-blockers might work in reducing fracture risk, because the part of the nervous system that causes the release of hormones like adrenaline causes a breakdown of bone. Beta-blockers directly block the action of these hormones. The diuretics might work in the kidney by helping the body hold onto more calcium. And of course, calcium is what helps make strong bones that have low fracture risk.
But Dr. Weinerman warns, “This is very preliminary information and this is not at all strong enough to use this drug for purpose of osteoporosis only. We have many other drugs that have much stronger repeated prospective data showing improvements in bone health, reduction in facture risk.”
However, for patients who have osteoporosis and high blood pressure, it might steer doctors in the direction of the medications that might in fact treat both conditions.
For more information on fracture risk, click here:
http://www.osteo.org/osteolinks.asp
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