Osteoporosis Medications May Protect Against Pneumonia

Nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates (N-BPs)—the primary therapeutic agents for preventing osteoclast-mediated bone loss due to osteoporosis—may have the additional benefit of helping to prevent pneumonia, according to new research.

A multinational research team used a population-wide database to identify 54,047 patients who experienced a first hip fracture from 2005 to 2015. The cohort was divided into 3 groups: those who received N‐BPs; those who received non‐N‐BP anti‐osteoporosis medications; and those who received no anti‐osteoporosis medications after hip fracture.

To record pneumonia status and mortality, the researchers followed these individuals until December 31, 2016. Overall, 4041 patients received N‐BPs and 11,802 did not receive anti‐osteoporosis medication; these individuals were propensity-score-matched for the analysis.

The results showed that individuals who were treated with N‐BPs had a significantly lower risk of pneumonia compared with those without treatment (6.9 vs 9.0 per 100 person‐years. Pneumonia mortality showed a similar association (hazard ratio, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.56 to 0.75).

“When N‐BPs were compared with non‐N‐BP anti‐osteoporosis medications, the association remained significant. N‐BPs were associated with lower risks of pneumonia and pneumonia mortality,” the researchers wrote.

“Randomized controlled trials are now required to determine whether N‐BPs, non–vaccine‐based medications, can reduce pneumonia incidence in high risk groups,” the researchers concluded.

—Rebecca Mashaw

Reference:

Sing C-W, Kiel D, Hubbard R, et al. Nitrogen‐containing bisphosphonates are associated with reduced risk of pneumonia in patients with hip fracture. J Bone Miner Res. Published online June 2, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1002/jbmr.4030