Depression Confirmed as Osteoporosis Risk Factor

A recently published review article summarized studies relating clinical depression and osteoporosis and concluded that a clear connection exists between the two.

Osteoporosis is the most widespread degenerative disease in the developed world, afflicting about 33% of women and 20% of men in the over 50 age group. In an endeavor to better understand risk factors for the syndrome, investigators at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel) reviewed research articles that related loss of bone mass, which characterizes osteoporosis, to evidence of clinical depression.

Their findings, based on the evaluation of 23 research projects conducted in eight countries that compared bone density among 2,327 people suffering from depression against 21,141 nondepressed individuals were published in the September 2009 issue of the journal Biological Psychiatry. The results showed that overall, depressed individuals displayed lower bone mass density than nondepressed subjects. The association between depression and bone mass density was similar in the spine, hip, and forearm. It was stronger in women than in men, and in premenopausal than postmenopausal women. Only women individually diagnosed for major depression by a psychiatrist displayed significantly lower bone mass density; women diagnosed by self-rating questionnaires did not. Depressed subjects had increased urinary levels of bone breakdown markers as compared to their nondepressed counterparts.

Based on these findings the authors concluded that, "All individuals psychiatrically diagnosed with major depression are at risk for developing osteoporosis, with depressed young women showing the highest risk. These patients should be periodically evaluated for progression of bone loss and signs of osteoporosis, allowing the use of antiosteoporotic prophylactic and therapeutic treatments."

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Hebrew University of Jerusalem