Issue 165 Item 10 ‘Statin Use Does Not Reduce Fracture Risk in Postmenopausal Wo

Statin use does not appear to protect postmenopausal women from fractures, which is contrary to some early reports.

The results run counter to a report presented in May that linked statin use with a reduced risk of vertebral fractures. Similarly, in an earlier study, statin use was found to improve bone density and prevent fractures in older women. Other studies, however, have failed to uncover a beneficial anti-fracture effect for statins.

The current findings are based on a study of 93,716 postmenopausal women who participated in the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study and were followed for a median of 3.9 years. The subjects included 7846 statin users and 85,870 nonusers.

Regardless of treatment duration, statin therapy did not appear to protect against fractures in the hip, lower arm or wrist, or other site. In fact, at most sites, statin use was actually linked with a slightly increased risk of fracture, noted lead author Dr. Andrea Z. LaCroix, from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.
After adjusting for age and other potential confounders, the authors found no difference in bone density levels at any site between statin users and nonusers.

"A substantial reduction in fracture risk from statin use is statistically incompatible" with the new findings, the researchers conclude. "The cumulative evidence does not warrant the use of statins as agents to prevent or treat osteoporosis," they add. Ann Intern Med 2003;139:97-104.

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