Severe Mental Illness Tied to Fragility Fractures in People 50 Years and Older

For people aged 50 years and older with severe mental illness, risk for fragility fractures is increased across all ages

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, Oct. 25, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Severe mental illness (SMI) is associated with an increased likelihood of fragility fractures, while osteoporosis may be underdiagnosed, according to a study published online Oct. 14 in the British Journal of General Practice.

Christina Avgerinou, M.D., Ph.D., from University College London, and colleagues examined the association between SMI and a recorded diagnosis of osteoporosis and fragility fracture in people aged 50 years and older. Patients with a diagnosis of SMI aged 50 to 99 years were matched to those without SMI (50,006 and 394,474, respectively).

The researchers found that SMI diagnosis increased the likelihood of an osteoporosis diagnosis in men, with differences mainly seen for those aged 50 to 54 years and 85 to 99 years (hazard ratios, 2.12 and 2.15, respectively); across all ages, SMI increased the risk for fragility fractures. In women, SMI increased the risk for osteoporosis diagnosis only among those aged 50 to 54 years (hazard ratio, 1.16), but the risk for fragility fractures was increased across all ages. Compared with men without SMI, more than twice as many men with SMI had fragility fracture records than an osteoporosis diagnosis (fragility fracture-to-osteoporosis ratio, 2.10 versus 1.89). For women, the corresponding ratios were 1.56 and 1.11.

“Osteoporosis screening and management may need to be considered as part of the annual care plan for individuals with SMI,” the authors write. “Appropriate interventions to prevent fragility fractures in people with SMI are needed.”