Lithium Treatment decreases Osteoporosis risk in Patients with Bipolar Disorder: JAMA study

A new study published in the Journal of American Medical Association shows that bipolar disorder was linked to an increase in the risk of osteoporosis, whereas lithium therapy was linked to a decrease in the risk of osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis, a systemic bone condition linked with significant morbidity and death, may be more likely in people with bipolar illness. Lithium, a first-line mood stabilizer for bipolar illness, may offer bone-protective effects. As a result, Ole Köhler-Forsberg and colleagues undertook this study to see if lithium medication is connected with a lower incidence of osteoporosis in people with bipolar illness.

This retrospective cohort analysis recruited 22 912 persons from the Danish Psychiatric Central Research Register who were diagnosed with bipolar illness for the first time between January 1, 1996, and January 1, 2019. Individuals who had bipolar disorder previous to January 1, 1996, those who had schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder prior to bipolar disorder, and those who had osteoporosis prior to the index date were removed. During follow-up, 300 of the 114 560 reference persons were diagnosed with bipolar disorder and were censored from the reference group. Treatment periods with lithium, valproate, antipsychotics, and lamotrigine were discovered for individuals with bipolar disorder. Between January 2021 and January 2022, analyses were carried out. The major outcome was osteoporosis, which was detected by hospital diagnosis and therapy.