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Patients with sleep apnoea syndrome have a higher risk of developing osteoporosis

19. 5. 2014

Patients with sleep apnoea syndrome are more likely to experience cardiovascular problems, myocardial infarction or heart rhythm disorders. However, they are also at increased risk of developing osteoporosis, particularly in women and older patients, according to a new study.

A retrospective study published this year in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism included a total of 1377 patients diagnosed with sleep apnoea syndrome between 2000 and 2008. Over the next 6 years, researchers compared how many patients in this group developed osteoporosis, compared to 20,655 patients of the same age and sex who did not have the sleep disorder. What did they find? That the incidence of osteoporosis was 2.7 times higher in patients with sleep apnea syndrome, and that the higher risk was also higher in women and those of older age.

Doctors explain this fact as follows. And if sleep apnea regularly deprives the body of oxygen, then the bones weaken and thus increase the risk of developing osteoporosis. The result is then fractures, poorer quality of life and, of course, higher healthcare costs. The aim of the study is therefore to highlight this not entirely expected link between sleep apnoea syndrome and osteoporosis and thus help prevent complications.

Source: Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Risk of Osteoporosis: A Population-Based Cohort Study in Taiwan. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2014; jc.2014-1718 DOI: 10.1210/jc.2014-1718