November 15, 2010
People with HIV are at a greater risk of bone disease, a new study shows, though it is unclear why. Nonetheless, the findings emphasize the need to apply strategies that prevent bone demineralization and to closely monitor bone mass density in this population, said Dr. Anna Bonjoch of the Lluita Contra la SIDA Foundation in Barcelona, Spain.
In the study, Bonjoch evaluated 671 patients who previously had at least one dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan. Twenty-three percent had osteoporosis, the brittle bone disease that can raise the risk of fractures, and another 48 percent had osteopenia, abnormally low bone mass that can progress to osteoporosis.
Half the study participants were 42 or younger. Among 105 patients with two or more scans and at least five years of follow-up, 47 percent showed progressive bone demineralization (18 percent to osteopenia and 29 percent to osteoporosis).
Adapted from:
Reuters Health
11.11.2010; Alison McCook
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