March 30, 2011 – Prolonged use of prescription osteoporosis drugs believed to prevent fractures in older people – bisphosphonates – is associated with an increased risk of fracture of the femur.
This is the conclusion of a Canadian study conducted among 205,000 women over the age of 68 who took bisphosphonates (Didronel, Fosamax, Actonel, etc.) between 2002 and 2008. These drugs are the most widely used to counteract the effects of osteoporosis, a bone-weakening disease that affects nearly 2 million Canadians.
According to the results, in women treated for more than 5 years with bisphosphonates, the risk of fracture of the femur is multiplied by 2.7, compared to women not taking this treatment.
Useful, bisphosphonates?
However, the researchers say that this study does not question the effectiveness of bisphosphonates. Indeed, these fractures of the femur (or subtrochanteric fractures) are said to be “atypical”, because they are very rare in cases of osteoporosis, unlike fractures of the neck of the femur which are themselves very common.
Thus, even if the frequency of atypical fractures is increased by taking bisphosphonates, it remains very low (0.4% of the women in the study). The risk is therefore minor compared to the benefits of treatment: taken for more than 5 years, bisphosphonates would reduce the risk of typical osteoporosis fractures by 24%. There is therefore no reason to stop this treatment in people who need it, say the researchers. However, in older women, who seem most at risk of suffering from an atypical fracture, the researchers point out that it may be better to stop treatment every now and then to reduce the risk.
In his blog on the answers to questions about menopause, Martin Winckler underlines that “the drugs (bisphosphonates) marketed in large numbers for the prevention of osteoporosis fractures are only useful after a first fracture, to avoid one. second. But they have no proven effectiveness in prevention in women who do not suffer from anything. In addition, the evidence for their negative side effects is mounting, especially the fact that they cause fractures ”.
Marine Corniou – PasseportSanté.net
1. Park-Wyllie LY, Mamdani MM, Bisphosphonate Use and the Risk of Subtrochanteric or Femoral Shaft Fractures in Older Women, JAMA. 2011 Feb 23; 305 (8): 783-9.
