Passive smoking linked to osteoporosis among women

Cigarette smoking causes more than 480,000 deaths each year in the United States i.e nearly one in five deaths. Smoking is a known risk factor for osteoporosis (Op), but few data are available regarding the passive smoke impact on Op susceptibility.

The current cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the association between the smoking habits and Op in community-dwelling women undergoing dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). The study published in the Journal of Endocrinological Investigation suggests a link between passive smoking and Op in community-dwelling women already presenting with susceptibility to Op according to Italian essential assistance levels, suggesting that passive and active smoke are equivalent Op risk factors in women.

Researchers from 01/06/2018,used general practitioners from “COMEGEN” Medical Cooperative, Naples, Italy, and selected the medical records from the last 10 years of women who had a measurement of bone mineral density performed and simultaneously completed a questionnaire about their smoking behaviour and their cohabiters’. The binary logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the role of passive smoke on the risk of Op, adjusting for age and body mass index (BMI).

The key findings of the study are

• A total of 10,616 subjects, 3942 were currently smokers [CS; mean age 69.4 ± 10.4 years; BMI 27.0 ± 4.9 kg/m2].

• 873 were passive smokers (PS; mean age 67.8 ± 11.6 years; BMI 27.0 ± 4.9 kg/m2) and 5781 were never smokers (NS; mean age 67.8 ± 11.6 years; body mass index (BMI) 27.0 ± 4.9 kg/m2).

• Of all, 8562 women (mean age 70.3 ± 10.2 yrs; BMI 27.0 ± 4.9 kg/m2) received the Op diagnosis.

• PS showed an increased Op risk compared to NS [odds ratio (OR) 1.38 (1.14–1.67)] and comparable to CS [OR 1.02 (0.84–1.24)].

Researchers concluded that “The study results demonstrate an association between passive smoke and Op in community-dwelling women already presenting with susceptibility to Op according to Italian essential assistance levels, suggesting that passive and active smoke are equivalent Op risk factors in women.”

Reference: Vergatti, A., Abate, V., Giaquinto, A. et al. Role of active and environmental tobacco smoke on susceptibility to osteoporosis in women undergoing dual-X-ray absorptiometry. J Endocrinol Invest (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40618-023-02211-3.