Study Examines Rare Hip Fractures after Taking Osteoporosis Drugs

Episode # 57
Uploaded: June 23, 2011
Running Time: 0:02:58

CROWN: From the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, this is CLINICAL CENTER RADIO.

Osteoporosis is a condition that makes a person’s bones become brittle and more likely to break. In the United States, more than 40 million people either have osteoporosis or are at high risk for developing it. Dr. Timothy Bhattacharyya is an orthopedic surgeon in the Institutes of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. He explains:

BHATTACHARYYA: As you get older, especially in women who are post-menopausal, the amount of bone mass in your body tends to decline. As a result, the bone becomes weak and people are prone to fractures, especially fractures of the back or fractures of the hip.

CROWN: Fortunately most people with osteoporosis have several treatment options that can reduce their risks of serious fractures. One common treatment is a type of drug called bisphosphonates. These drugs are effective for most people. But recently a very small group of patients taking these medicines have developed a serious and rare type hip fracture. Now, experts including Dr. Bhattacharyya are conducting a 3-year study at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda Maryland, hoping to learn more.

BHATTACHARYYA: For people who are taking these medications, which are effective, we want to be able to tell them what percentage of them are at risk for developing a fracture.

CROWN: Researchers at the Clinical Center plan to compare hip x-rays of three groups: people who have been taking osteoporosis drugs for several years, those who’ve just started taking them, and those who have never taken these drugs.

BHATTACHARYYA:  First off, people who have been taking this medication for 5 years or more would be interested in this study. Another group of people who would be interested would be people who have been recently diagnosed with osteoporosis and have either started medication or are thinking about starting medication. And then a third group would be just healthy volunteers – anybody over the age of 50.

CROWN: Ultimately, the researcher’s goal is to better understand who is at risk and, if possible, how to prevent these rare fractures.

BHATTACHARYYA: This is a relatively new thing. There is a lot of debate about it and very few people understand how common the fracture is, why the fracture occurs and whether it can be prevented.

CROWN: If you would like more information about this study, or one of the 1,500 other studies offered at the NIH Clinical Center, log on to clinicalcenter.nih.gov. For this study, refer to protocol number 11-AR-0156 at clinicaltrials.gov. You may also call toll free 1-866-999-5553. From America's Clinical Research Hospital, this has been CLINICAL CENTER RADIO. In Bethesda, Maryland, I'm Ellen Crown, at the National Institutes of Health, an agency of the United States Department of Health.

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