Bone Loss in Inflammatory Rheumatic Musculoskeletal Disease Patients Treated With Low‐Dose Glucocorticoids and Prevention by Anti‐Osteoporosis Medications
Authors' conclusion
Glucocorticoid doses as low as 2.5 mg/day were associated with BMD loss in iRMD patients, but this effect was preventable. BMD loss in patients receiving ≥5 mg/day was not totally prevented by anti-osteoporosis medications currently used in clinical practice, resulting in higher risk of fracture.
Study context
- Population
- Women with inflammatory rheumatic musculoskeletal diseases, followed up for up to 6 yearsmatched cohort
- Exposure
- Women with iRMD vs matched controls without iRMD
- iRMDn = 884
- Controlsn = 1,766reference
- Outcome
- Effects of GC doses on bone health: BMD and fractures
- Follow-up
- Up to 6 years
Methodological detailslongitudinal, matched cohort (age, T score, 10-year fracture risk), Kaplan-Meier with log rank test, multivariable Cox regression
- Longitudinal
- Matched cohort (age, T score, 10-year fracture risk)
- Kaplan-Meier with log rank test
- Multivariable Cox regression
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
BMD change in patients receiving GC without anti-osteoporosis treatment, by prednisone-equivalent dose
≥5 mg/day: Bone mineral density (BMD) change (P = 0.0011)
−4.26%
2.5-5 mg/day: BMD change (P = 0.0422)
−4.23%
0-2.5 mg/day: BMD change (P = 0.0006)
−2.66%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Fracture incidence
- Higher in iRMD vs controls; only GC doses ≥5 mg/day associated with significantly higher fracture risk
Original publication
Bone Loss in Inflammatory Rheumatic Musculoskeletal Disease Patients Treated With Low‐Dose Glucocorticoids and Prevention by Anti‐Osteoporosis Medications. Arthritis Rheumatol. Published 12 July 2023. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →