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Risk for fracture tripled in men with sarcopenia and osteopenia/osteoporosis
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BALTIMORE — Men with sarcopenia and osteopenia/osteoporosis had a threefold greater risk for fracture compared with men who only had one of the diseases, according to data presented at ASBMR 2013.
“The rate of non-spine fractures in normal men was about 10 per 1,000; 15.7 for those with sarcopenia, and 17.4 in men with low bone mass. However, when we combined sarcopenia and low bone mass, the rate of non-spine fractures was much higher; it was about 30.5 per 1,000 men,” Didier Chalhoub, MD, MPH, PhD, of the University of Pittsburgh Center for Aging and Population Health, said. “Sarcopenia and low bone mass are independent risk factors for fractures in older men. The combination of both sarcopenia and low bone mass places men at a threefold higher risk for fractures.”
Using prospective, longitudinal data from the MrOS Study, Chalhoub and colleagues examined 1,204 white and black women from the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures (mean age, 77.6 years) and 5,729 white, black and Hispanic men (mean age, 73.7 years) from the MrOS study to determine the risk for non-spine fracture in older men and women based on sarcopenia and osteopenia/osteoporosis.
According to data, patients were categorized into four groups:
- Normal BMD and lean mass (3,398 men, 312 women);
- Sarcopenia with normal BMD (153 men, 45 women);
- Osteopenia/osteoporosis and no sarcopenia (1,972 men, 621 women); and
- Sarcopenia with osteopenia/osteoporosis (205 men, 139 women).
The primary outcome was non-spine fractures confirmed by central review of radiographic report over the course of 8 years for women and 9 years for men, Chalhoub said.
The results suggest a combination of the factors could identify men with the greatest risk, according to Chalhoub.
Men with sarcopenia and osteopenia/osteoporosis displayed the greatest incidence rate for fracture, according to data. Sarcopenia alone was linked to an increased risk for fracture among men, not women.
Men with sarcopenia had about a 1.5 to 1.6 higher risk for non-spine fractures compared with the reference group, according to Chalhoub. Men with low bone mass had about a 1.7 to 1.8 risk for non-spine fractures. The risk was much higher when sarcopenia and low bone mass were combined (3 to 3.2), according to Chalhoub.
Women with osteoporosis alone or sarcopenia and osteopenia/osteoporosis displayed a similar risk for fracture, according to data. Results were not statistically significant, he added. The rate was 11 non-spine fractures per 1,000 in normal women and 17.3 in women with sarcopenia. – by Samantha Costa
For more information:
Chalhoub D. Distinguished orals — Lifestyle #1003. Presented at: the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research 2013 Annual Meeting; Oct. 4-7, 2013; Baltimore.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.