Myocardial infarction and osteoporotic fractures

Myocardial infarction and osteoporotic fractures

Yariv Gerber, L Joseph Melton 3rd, Susan A Weston and Véronique L Roger from May Clinic, Rochester Minnesota, has come up with an interesting observation of an association between myocardial infarction and osteoporotic fractures which have been increasing over the past few decades [1]. They have evaluated the residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota, who had a myocardial infarction between 1976 and 2006. Over six thousand and six hundred patients and controls matched for age sex and year of onset were followed up through 2009. An overall excess fracture risk after myocardial infarction was noted which was regardless of age, sex and site of fracture. This hazard has increased through the decades. Hazard ratio was 1.32. Fracture incidence rates remained stable in controls. Interestingly, though the 30 day case fatality rate decreased from 12.5% in 1979 to 6.7% in 2000 to 2006, the overall hazard ratio for death in cases of myocardial infarction did not change. This also indicates a displacement of post myocardial infarction outcomes to non cardiovascular events over the decades.

Reference

1. Yariv Gerber, L Joseph Melton 3rd, Susan A Weston, Véronique L Roger. Association Between Myocardial Infarction and Fractures An Emerging Phenomenon. Circulation. 2011 Jul 19;124(3):297-303.