Use of immunosuppressive agents may increased fracture risk among patients with autoimmune diseases

The key findings of the study are

• This study found the risk of fractures was 1.14 times higher in patients with autoimmune diseases than in those without.

• Moreover, they found that patients in the immunosuppressant sub-cohort had a higher risk of fractures compared to those in the non-immunosuppressant sub-cohort.

• The adjusted sub-distribution hazard ratio for shoulder fractures was 1.27 (95% CI = 1.01–1.58), for spine fractures was 1.43 (95% CI = 1.26–1.62), for wrist fractures was 0.95 (95% CI = 0.75–1.22), and for hip fractures was 1.67 (95% CI = 1.38–2.03).

Researchers concluded that “The results of this study suggest that immunosuppressive use may increase the risk of fractures in patients with autoimmune diseases, particularly at the hip. Clinicians should be aware of this potential risk and take steps to minimize the risk of falls in these patients.” Further research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the association between immunosuppressant use and fracture risk in autoimmune diseases and to determine the optimal strategies for preventing fractures in these patients.

Reference: Kao F-C, Hsu Y-C, Tu Y-K, Chen T-S, Wang H-H, Lin J. Long-Term Use of Immunosuppressive Agents Increased the Risk of Fractures in Patients with Autoimmune Diseases: An 18-Year Population-Based Cohort Study. Biomedicines. 2023; 11(10):2764. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines11102764.