How does hydrochlorothiazide affect fracture risk?
Observational studies show that hydrochlorothiazide reduces fracture risk. However, randomized controlled trials have not been done to confirm this and it is unlikely that any will be done given the duration of the study that would be required and the lack of funding. • A 4 year prospective study examined the effect of thiazide use on the incidence of hip fracture among >9,000 elderly men and women. The relative risk of hip fracture among thiazide users was 0.68 after adjusting for sex, age, impaired mobility, body-mass index, and current and former smoking status. Moreover, use of other antihypertensive medications was not associated with this risk reduction (1). • A case control study was done to examine the effect of long-term thiazide use on hip fracture risk among women and men >65 years old who were not taking other medications known to affect BMD. Decreased risk of hip fracture was directly correlated to the length of duration of thiazide use. Relative risk was 1.2 for 6 years o
