Title

Association between beta-blockers and fracture risk: A Bayesian meta-analysis

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2012

Abstract

Background: The association between beta-blockers (BB) and fracture risk is controversial, due largely to conflicting findings from previous studies. The present study sought to evaluate the effect of BB on fracture risk by using a Bayesian meta-analysis approach.

Methods and results: We systematically retrieved 13 observational studies on the association between BB use and fracture risk. This meta-analysis involved more than 907,000 men and women with mean/median age of individual studies ranging from 43 to 81years. We used a hierarchical Bayesian random effects model to synthesize the results. BB use was associated with an average 17% reduction in the risk of any fracture (risk ratio [RR] 0.83; 95% credible interval [CrI]: 0.71–0.93), hip fracture (RR 0.83; 95% CrI: 0.70–0.92) and vertebral fracture (RR 0.81; 95% CrI: 0.61–0.99). The probability that BB use reduces fracture risk by at least 10% was 0.91.

Conclusions: Beta-blockers are associated with reduced risk of fracture in older adults, but the effect size is likely to be modest.

Comments

Due to copyright restrictions the publisher's version/PDF of this article is unavailable for download.

Staff and Students of the University of Notre Dame Australia may access the full text of this article here

This article may be accessed from the publisher here

Bone may be accessed from the National Library of Australia here

The Author:

Professor John Eisman


Link to Full Text

Share

COinS