BOSTON, Sept. 26 (UPI) -- Boston researchers say the use of statins has been linked with a lower risk of fractures among older, predominately male veterans.
Several biological mechanisms were proposed to explain the association, including reduced inflammation and promotion of new bone growth through improvements in small blood vessel function.
Although previous studies suggested an association between statin use and fracture reduction, most of the studies had involved women.
Dr. Richard Scranton of the Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiology Research and Information Center and colleagues analyzed data from 91,052 male veterans between Jan. 1, 1998, and June 30, 2001.
Of the study participants, 28,063 were prescribed only statins, 2,195 were prescribed non-statin lipid-lowering medications, and the remaining 60,794 were not prescribed any lipid-lowering medications.
The study is one of the largest to evaluate the association between statins and fractures.
"The use of statins in this study was associated with a 36-percent reduction in fracture risk compared with no lipid-lowering therapy and a 32-percent risk reduction when compared with other lipid-lowering therapy," the researchers wrote.
The study appears in the Sept. 26 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
