A new trial has found that life expectancy of newly diagnosed and treated osteoporosis patients is in excess of 15 years in women younger than 75, and in men younger than 60, according to a study published online ahead of print May 21 in Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.
“How best to treat patients with osteoporosis is a really simple issue when it comes to beginning treatment, but deciding how long to treat for is really very challenging,” said lead author Bo Abrahamsen, MD, PhD, Professor and Consultant Endocrinologist at Glostrup Hospital in Copenhagen.
Bo Abrahamsen, MD, PhD
Researchers conducted an observational study in Danish national registries tracking prescriptions for osteoporosis drugs, comorbid conditions, and deaths. Investigators included 58,637 patients and 225,084 age- and gender-matched control subjects. Information on deaths until the end of 2013 was retrieved, providing a follow-up period of 10 to 17 years.
In men younger than 80 and women younger than 60, the relative risk of dying declined from being strongly increased in the first year to a stable but elevated level in subsequent years. In women older than 65 through 70, there was only a small elevation in risk in the first year of treatment followed by lower than background mortality.
The residual life expectancy of a 50-year-old man beginning osteoporosis treatment was estimated to be 18.2 years; for a 75-year-old man it was 7.5 years. Estimates in women were 26.4 years and 13.5 years for the same age groups, respectively.
According to the researchers, their findings show an excess mortality in men and in women below age 70 who are treated for osteoporosis, compared with the background population. This excess risk, they said, is more pronounced in the first few years on treatment. The average life expectancy of osteoporosis patients is in excess of 15 years in women below the age of 75 and in men below the age of 60, highlighting the importance of developing tools for long-term management.
“The present study shows that most of the patients we treat have a long life expectancy. Therefore it is absolutely vital that we are not complacent but develop evidence-based strategies for the long-term management of osteoporosis,” stated Dr. Abrahamsen.