Published on: August 23, 2018
by Health Europa:
Osteoporosis is estimated to affect 200 million women globally. In Germany the occurrence of this disease amongst individuals aged above 50 years is roughly 15%.
This current study had the goal of investigating the impact of osteoporosis on the risk of developing dementia in almost 60,000 patients, where they were followed for up to 20 years in more than 1,200 general practices in Germany.
What is the connection between osteoporosis and dementia?
“The major hypothesis to explain the association between osteoporosis and dementia is that these two conditions have similar risk factors,” noted co-author Louis Jacob, MD, from the University Clinic of Paris 5.
“These factors include APOE4 allele of the apolipoprotein E, a major cholesterol carrier, lower vitamin K levels, vitamin D deficiency, but also androgens and estrogens.”
Lead investigator Professor Karel Kostev from the Epidemiology Team of IQVIA, Frankfurt, explains how there is a great interest in the relationship between osteoporosis and dementia.
“This study is the first to address this question in a very large database enabling the case-control-comparison between patients with and without osteoporosis.”
How did they investigate the relationship?
Using data from the Disease Analyzer database (IQVIA), the study included patients diagnosed with osteoporosis between January 1993 and December 2012 and were followed for up to 20 years. After applying similar inclusion criteria, controls were matched (1:1) to patients using propensity scores based on:
IQVIA compiles information on drug prescriptions, diagnoses, and demographic data obtained directly and in anonymous format from computer systems used by general practitioners and specialists.
Who was most at risk of dementia?
The study included 29,983 patients with and 29,983 controls without the condition.
After the 20 year follow-up, 20.5% of women with the bone weakening condition and 16.4% of controls had been diagnosed with dementia. At the end of this period, dementia was found in 22% of men previously diagnosed with the condition and 14.9% of men without it.
It was associated with a 1.2-fold increase in the risk of being diagnosed with dementia in women and a 1.3-fold increase in the risk of being diagnosed with dementia in men.
Source: https://www.healtheuropa.eu/osteoporosis-dementia/87816/
While anyone can experience a stroke at any age, women experience more stroke events than men and are less likely to recover. “BE FAST” is a checklist of 6 items to keep in mind when assessing whether you might be...
Enjoy these highlights from our Engaging Millennial Minds Chew on This virtual event with celebrity chef Mark McEwan.
This virtual culinary event featured Celebrity Chef and Restauranteur Mark McEwan.
The material presented through the Think Tank feature on this website is in no way intended to replace professional medical care or attention by a qualified practitioner. WBHI strongly advises all questioners and viewers using this feature with health problems to consult a qualified physician, especially before starting any treatment. The materials provided on this website cannot and should not be used as a basis for diagnosis or choice of treatment. The materials are not exhaustive and cannot always respect all the most recent research in all areas of medicine.