Bone Loss

CROI 2011: HIV/HCV Coinfected People Have Higher Risk of Bone Loss

People with both HIV and hepatitis C are more likely to sustain hip or spine fractures than people with one or none of these viruses, according to a study of nearly 39,000 Medicaid recipients presented at CROI 2011. alt

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Prevention Task Force Recommends Wider Bone Screening for Older Women

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) this week issued revised guidelines, published in the January 17, 2011, advance online edition of Annals of Internal Medicine, recommending that all women age 65 and older should be screened for bone loss, along with younger women -- and presumably men -- who have equivalent risk. HIV and its treatment may raise the likelihood of bone loss, and experts recently recommended earlier bone screening for HIV positive women and men.

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Is Bone Loss Related to Immune Reconstitution in People on ART?

Immune system recovery and rising T-cell counts after starting antiretroviral therapy (ART) may contribute to bone loss among people with HIV, according to data from a small study presented at the 18th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2011) this month in Boston. A better understanding of early bone loss may allow for preventive therapies.

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People with HIV Have Increased Bone Fracture Risk

HIV positive people in the HIV Outpatient Study were more likely to sustain bone fractures compared with the general population of the same age, according to a study described in the March 10, 2011, advance online edition of Clinical Infectious Diseases. In addition to known factors including hepatitis C coinfection, lowest-ever CD4 cell count was identified as a new risk factor for bone breaks.

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FDA Warns of Unusual Femur Fractures in People Taking Bisphosphonates for Osteoporosis

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an advisory about the potential risk of unusual femur or thigh-bone fractures in people who use bisphosphonate drugs such as alendronate (Fosamax) or risedronate (Actonel) to manage bone loss. The advisory and associated product label changes are based on a research review by a task force of the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research, described in the September 14, 2010 advance online edition of the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. Rare cases of atypical subtrochanteric and diaphyseal femur fractures were linked to long-term bisphosphonate use, but it is not clear whether the drugs are the cause of these fractures.

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