Dementia and osteoporosis
Cognitive decline and osteoporosis often accompany each other, some data indicated a causal relationship between them. However, until now there has been no data on the relationship between cognitive decline, bone loss and the risk of fractures not associated with aging.
As part of the Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Clinical Trial (Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study) conducted from 1997 to 2013, researchers selected 1,741 women and 620 men over the age of 65 without dementia and observed them for 10 years. Both sexes showed a similar decrease in cognitive functions and bone mass, however, after statistical adjustment, a significant preponderance was revealed: cognitive impairment was associated with bone loss in women, but not in men. In addition, a clinically significant decrease in cognitive functions in women was associated with a 1.7-fold increase in the risk of fractures over the next 10 years.
Notably, the association between bone loss and cognitive decline was bidirectional, with no evidence that one precedes the other. This means that the studied conditions may have common risk factors.
The study has drawbacks, the main one of which is the number of male participants, insufficient for a reliable assessment of the relationship between a decrease in mental abilities and the risk of fractures.
Nevertheless, the results obtained will help clarify recommendations on how bone loss and cognitive decline can be controlled in old age in order to ensure appropriate effective treatment. This is very important because both bone loss and cognitive decline can go unnoticed for a long period of time, often until these conditions seriously progress.
Article by D.Bliuc et al. Cognitive decline is associated with an accelerated rate of bone loss and increased fracture risk in women: a prospective study from the Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.
Aminat Adzhieva, portal "Eternal Youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research: Cognitive decline may help predict future fracture risk in women.