Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

The ageing endocrine system

Fracture risk after initiation of antihypertensive therapy

Initiation of antihypertensive therapy increases the risk of hip fractures in the elderly, according to a novel study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Adverse effects of antihypertensive therapy such as orthostatic hypotension, which increases the risk of falls and fractures, could provide a possible explanation for this phenomenon.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Cawston, H. et al. Epidemiological burden of postmenopausal osteoporosis in France from 2010 to 2020: estimations from a disease model. Arch. Osteoporos. 7, 237–246 (2012).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. McCarron, D. A., Morris, C. D. & Bukoski, R. The calcium paradox of essential hypertension. Am. J. Med. 82, 27–33 (1987).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Vestergaard, P., Rejnmark, L. & Mosekilde, L. Hypertension is a risk factor for fractures. Calcif. Tissue Int. 84, 103–111 (2009).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Wiklund, P., Nordström, A., Jansson, J. H., Weinehall, L. & Nordström, P. Low bone mineral density is associated with increased risk for myocardial infarction in men and women. Osteoporos. Int. 23, 963–970 (2012).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Wiens, M., Etminan, M., Gill, S. S. & Takkouche, B. Effects of antihypertensive drug treatments on fracture outcomes: a meta-analysis of observational studies. J. Intern. Med. 260, 350–362 (2006).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Rejnmark, L. Cardiovascular drugs and bone. Curr. Drug Saf. 3, 178–184 (2008).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Butt, D. A. et al. The risk of hip fracture after initiating antihypertensive drugs in the elderly. Arch. Intern. Med. 172, 1739–1744 (2012).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Aung, K. & Htay, T. Thiazide diuretics and the risk of hip fracture. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Issue 1. Art. No.: CD005185. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD005185.pub2.

  9. Solomon, D. H., Mogun, H., Garneau, K. & Fischer, M. A. Risk of fractures in older adults using antihypertensive medications. J. Bone Miner. Res. 26, 1561–1567 (2011).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Gribbin, J., Hubbard, R., Gladman, J., Smith, C. & Lewis, S. Risk of falls associated with antihypertensive medication: self-controlled case series. Pharmacoepidemiol. Drug Saf. 20, 879–884 (2011).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The author declares no competing financial interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Rejnmark, L. Fracture risk after initiation of antihypertensive therapy. Nat Rev Endocrinol 9, 189–190 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrendo.2013.20

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrendo.2013.20

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing