Health
Bone loss tied to diuretics for men
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted May 5, 2008
Older men who take loop diuretics, which are commonly prescribed for heart failure and hypertension, appear to be at higher risk for bone loss than men not on the medication, according to a study in the April 14 Archives of Internal Medicine.
Loop diuretics increase the amount of calcium excreted in urine, potentially damaging bones over the long term, according to the researchers.
Researchers compared the bone mineral density decline among 84 men who continuously used loop diuretics for an average of 4.6 years with 181 who used them intermittently and 3,004 who did not use them at all. After adjusting for related factors, the average annual rate of decline in total hip bone mineral density was -0.33% for nonusers, -0.58% for intermittent users and -0.78% among continuous users.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2008/05/05/hlbf0505.htm.
