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Osteoporosis drugs 'raise the risk of thigh fractures' warn researchers
Researchers have suggested that hundreds of women taking bisphosphonate drugs for 5 years could be at double the risk of thigh fractures but 24% less likely to suffer other more typical fractures such as hip, wrist or spine.
In the study, researchers at St Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, examined records on 205,000 women treated with a bisphosphonate drug, including 716 who suffered thigh fractures, a type of fracture not usually caused by osteoporosis.
They found the risk of needing hospital treatment for this fracture was 2.7 times higher in women taking drugs for five years or longer compared with short-term use, although the absolute risk was low.
Lead researcher Dr Laura Park-Wyllie said the findings should not deter doctors or patients from using the drugs. ‘Our study confirms the known benefits of bisphosphonate therapies for typical osteoporotic fracture, and evidence suggests that they are underused in individuals at high risk of fracture,’
The National Osteoporosis Society said it should be remembered these unusual fractures are rare and risks and benefits of any treatment need to be fully considered.
Spokesman Rob Dawson said: ‘The treatments are proven to reduce the risk of osteoporotic fractures so, in the vast majority of people, the benefits of treatment will far outweigh the risks.’