Statins not linked with reduced fracture risk

Contrary to prevalent suggestions that statin users may have a reduced risk of fractures, researchers have found that treatment with an anti-cholesterol medicine did not reduce the risk of fracture among men and women.

"Our study does not support the use of statins in doses used for cardiovascular disease prevention to reduce the risk of fracture," the researchers said.

Jessica Pena from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, and co-authors examined whether statin therapy reduced the risk of fracture in a trial that enrolled 17,802 men (older than 50 years) and women (older than 60 years).

Participants were divided equally in two groups: one group received 20 mg daily of the anticholesterol medicine rosuvastatin while the other received placebo.

There were 431 fractures reported during the study with 221 fractures among participants who took rosuvastatin compared with 210 fractures among individuals who received placebo, according to the study results.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and the bone weakening disease osteoporosis may share common biological pathways with inflammation key to the development of atherosclerosis, which is hardening of the arteries, and possibly the development of osteoporosis.

Several studies suggest statin users may have a reduced risk of fractures, while other studies find no association.

The new study appeared online in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.