Type 2 diabetes drug linked to bone fracture risk

Carried out by Ian Douglas of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and his colleagues, the study has established a link between the use of thiazolidinediones and bone fractures.

For the purpose of the study, the researchers conducted a self-controlled case-series study on 1,819 individuals aged above 40 years.

The data was culled from the UK General Practice Research Database. This database has computerized clinical records of more than six million patients registered at 400 general practice surgeries in the United Kingdom.

All the 1,819 individuals under study had a history of a bone fracture and had been prescribed a thiazolidinedione at least once.

Increase in fracture risk
The findings revealed that the number of fractures recorded when the patients were on thiazolidinediones were nearly one and half times more than the fractures recorded when the patients were not taking these drugs. Researchers adjusted their findings to take into account the fact that older people are susceptible to breaking bones.

The increased risk of fractures was observed for both genders and on various parts of the body. Furthermore, the risk of fracture increased as the duration of treatment with the drug increased.

As it is, diabetic patients have lower bone density that increases the risk of bone fractures and delays fracture repair. If the findings of the study are taken into account, the use of thiazolidinediones will make matters worse for these patients.

The researchers aver that the results of the study "should be taken into consideration in the wider debate surrounding the possible risks and benefits of treatment with thiazolidinediones."

The study appears in the Sept. 29 online edition of the journal PLoS Medicine.

Diabetes and its types
Diabetes is a condition where the body either does not produce enough, or respond to, insulin.

Diabetes can be categorized as Type 1 or Type 2. The former results from the body's failure to produce insulin, while the latter results from Insulin resistance, a condition in which cells fail to use insulin properly. The Type 2 diabetes may be characterized with relative insulin deficiency.

Long-term adverse repercussions of diabetes such as cardiovascular disease, chronic renal failure, retinal, nerve and blood vessel damage have been long established. There is sufficient empirical evidence to prove diabetes can cause erectile dysfunction and can lead to poor wound healing.

Thiazolidinedione drugs were introduced in the 1990s and are used to treat type 2 diabetes.