β-blocker use and risk of fractures in men and women from the general population:: the MONICA/KORA Augsburg cohort study

Use of beta-blockers is associated with a reduced risk of fractures in middle-aged and older subjects from the general population. Introduction The present prospective population-based study investigated the association between use of beta-blockers and incidence of any fracture. Methods The study was based on 1,793 persons 55 to 74 years of age who participated in one of the three MONICA Augsburg surveys between 1984 and 1995. Subjects were without any fracture at baseline. Incident fractures were assessed using a health questionnaire. Hazard ratios ( HRs) were estimated from Cox proportional hazard models. Results During a mean follow-up of 10.7 years, there occurred 263 incident fractures. beta-blocker users were older, were significantly more likely to be obese, to drink no alcohol, to have hypertension or diabetes, to use thiazides and statins, and to be physically inactive. The use of beta-blockers was associated with a lower risk of any fracture (HR 0.57; 95% CI= 0.36-0.90) after adjustment for age, sex and survey. Further adjustment for body mass index and education years only slightly attenuated the relationship ( HR 0.60; 95% CI= 0.38-0.95) and additional adjustment for a variety of further risk factors did not attenuate the association (HR 0.60; 95% CI= 0.37 - 0.96). Conclusion Use of beta-blockers was associated with a reduced risk of fractures in middle-aged and older subjects from the general population.