High blood pressure and weak bones are two serious threats to the elderly.
A new study showed how one group of drugs is able to protect the elderly from both threats.
An analysis of the case histories of thousands of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Medicare patients confirms that thiazide diuretics prescribed for hypertension help to keep calcium in the aging organism and reduce the risk of bone fractures.
Unexpected findings were published in the American journal JAMA Internal Medicine.
"It is well known that therapy with thiazide diuretics reduces the excretion (excretion) of calcium in the urine to 50%. This tendency towards a positive balance of calcium in the body can slow down bone loss and protect against fractures, "explained Dr. Caroline Messer, endocrinologist at Lenox Hill Hospital.
The study was funded by the US National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. The project was led by Dr. Joshua Barzilay of the Kaiser-Permente MC in Georgia.
The analysis included more than 22 thousand Americans, whose average age exceeded 70 years.
These VA and Medicare patients participated in a clinical study comparing the effects of various antihypertensive drugs on the risk of myocardial infarction. Monitoring of participants' health continued for an average of 5 years.
In addition to the main outcomes, the scientists found a curious detail: participants who regularly took thiazide diuretics were 21% less likely to enter the hospital with fractures of the pelvis and the neck of the hip. For comparison, the groups of patients who took the ACE inhibitor lisinopril and the calcium channel blocker amlodipine.
"Our results allow us to confidently recommend thiazide diuretics for the treatment of arterial hypertension in elderly patients with an increased risk of fractures," concluded Dr. Barzilai.
At the same time, Dr. Messer, an independent expert, noted: thiazide diuretics are first-line drugs not for all hypertensives. She recalled the need for an individual approach to each case, taking into account the potential risks. In particular, in the treatment of thiazide diuretics, the development of hyponatremia.
medbe. en.
Keywords:.