Thiazide Diuretics May Reduce Osteoporotic Fracture Risk Save

A large Swedish cohort study of hypertensive men and women presented at the 25th Scientific Meeting of the European Society of Hypertension, identitied a protective effect on osteoporotic fractures among current users of thiazide diuretic drugs independent of blood pressure level.  This retrospective cohort study analysed data on 60,893 hypertensive patients between 2001 and 2008. By the end of the study, a total of 2,421 fractures occurred. The use of thiazide diuretics was significantly associated with a reduced risk of having an osteoporotic fracture (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.88). Conversely, an increased risk of osteoporotic fractures was seen with the discontinuation of thiazides (HR, 1.17).