- Is there a disparity in osteoporosis referral and treatment among people with affective disorders? A ten-year data linkage study
- Affective disorders include Depression and Bi-polar – both of which are associated with low Vitamin D
- VitaminDWiki - Diseases that may be related via low vitamin D includes:
Is there a disparity in osteoporosis referral and treatment among people with affective disorders? A ten-year data linkage study
Gen Hosp Psychiatry 2025 Feb 15:94:56-62. doi: 10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2025.02.009
Ruimin Ma 1, Eugenia Romano 2, Mark Ashworth 3, Davy Vancampfort 4, Marco Solmi 5, Lee Smith 6, Nicola Veronese 7, Christoph Mueller 8, Robert Stewart 8, Brendon Stubbs 2
Aims: People with affective disorders (AD) are at increased risk of osteoporosis and fractures. Osteoporosis treatment/referral is thus essential in this population. However, it is unclear whether osteoporosis treatment/referral differs between those with and without AD. This retrospective cohort study compared osteoporosis treatment/referral in people with and without AD across linked primary and mental health care data.
Methods: People with AD (ICD-10 codes F3*) between 1.5.2009-30.11.2019, aged 18+ at first diagnosis, from Lambeth, South London were randomly matched 1:4 to healthy controls based on age band and gender. Outcomes including treatments (prescription of calcium, calcium with vitamin D) and referral (referrals for osteoporosis screening and/or prevention) were analysed using conditional and multivariable logistic regression analyses.
Results: People with AD (n = 23,932) were more likely than controls (n = 76,593) to have a recorded prescription of calcium (odds ratio [OR] = 1.64, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.40-1.92) and calcium with vitamin D (OR = 2.25, 95 % CI 2.10-2.41), and be referred for osteoporosis screening (OR = 1.87, 95 % CI 1.76-1.99) within 2 years after the date of the first AD diagnosis in adjusted analyses. Older age, female sex, having an ethnic minority background, Class A analgesics use were significant predictors for all osteoporosis management pathways within AD patients.
Conclusion: Findings from the present study suggest that compared to the general population, people with AD are more likely to receive osteoporosis screening/treatments. Whether this increased screening/treatment is sufficient to reduce the burden of osteoporosis and fractures in this population is unclear and warrants further consideration.
Download the PDF from VitaminDWiki