A study undertaken by researchers in Taiwan has linked an elevated risk of developing osteoporosis to having obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This lengthens the list of potential health problems associated with untreated OSA, among them high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart-related conditions.
Using data from records in Taiwan’s single-payer National Health Insurance program, the scientists tracked 1,377 patients who received a diagnosis of OSA between 2000 and 2008, according to ScienceDaily. Their findings appeared in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism of the Endocrine Society.
The most common type of sleep apnea, a disorder that causes short breathing interruptions during sleep, is OSA. It occurs when the airway of a sleeping individual becomes blocked. This results in either pauses in breathing or shallow breathing, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute reports.
Most patients with OSA don’t suspect they have it until a spouse, partner, or other family member comments on loud snoring. Successfully treating the condition can involve lifestyle changes, mouthpieces, breathing devices, and even surgery.
Osteoporosis is a bone-thinning disease often associated with aging. According to the International Osteoporosis Foundation, worldwide, it’s responsible for at least 8.9 million fractures each year. Estimates suggest it affects around 200 million women across the globe, including 10 percent of those who are 60, 20 percent of who have reached 70, 40 percent of those at age 80, and two-thirds of those who reach 90.
The Taiwanese research team found that an OSA diagnosis might raise the risk of developing osteoporosis, especially in women or older patients. They noted that ongoing sleep disruptions associated with OSA have the potential of damaging many systems in the human body, one of which is the skeletal system. Because the condition interrupts the delivery of oxygen, it raises the risk of weakened bones.
Over a six-year period, the scientists compared the rate of an osteoporosis diagnosis in the subjects with that of 20,655 individuals of comparable gender and age who had not been diagnosed with OSA. They discovered that the occurrence of osteoporosis was 2.7 times greater in the OSA patients than in subjects in the second group. This number was the result of adjusting for factors such as location, monthly income, certain medical disorders, and other demographics.
Women and older patients emerged as particularly susceptible to the risk of developing osteoporosis. While the results suggested no particular intervention to lessen bone thinning risk in patients diagnosed with OSA, the findings pointed out the need to pay greater attention to the relationship between the two conditions and to find more ways to prevent osteoporosis.
Vonda J. Sines has published thousands of print and online health and medical articles. She specializes in diseases and other conditions that affect the quality of life.