Association of Mental Disorders and Related Medication Use With Risk for Major Osteoporotic Fractures

Elucidating the Mechanism(s) Underlying Antipsychotic and Antidepressant-Mediated Fractures

Mood spectrum disorders and medications used to treat these disorders, such as atypical antipsychotic drugs (AA), are associated with metabolic and endocrine side effects including obesity, dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia and increased risk of fractures. Antidepressant medications, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), have also been reported to increase fracture risk in some patients. The pharmacology underlying the increased risk of fractures is currently unknown. Possible mechanisms include alternations in dopaminergic and/or serotonergic signaling pathways. As these medications distribute to the bone marrow as well as to the brain, it is possible that drug-induced fractures are due to both centrally mediated effects as well as direct effects on bone turnover. Given the growing patient population that is prescribed these medications for both on- and off-label indications, understanding the level of risk and the mechanisms underlying drug-induced fractures is important for informing both prescribing and patient monitoring practices.

Risk and associates of incident hip fracture in type 1 diabetes: The Fremantle Diabetes Study

AIMS

To determine the relative risk of incident hip fracture in patients with type 1 diabetes and matched controls, to examine baseline associates of incident hip fracture in the patients with type 1 diabetes, and to compare hip fracture rates in age- and sex-matched patients with type 1 versus type 2 diabetes.

METHODS

Longitudinal observational study of 121 adults with type 1 diabetes (mean ± SD age 43.0 ± 15.5 years, 59.5% male) and 484 age- and sex-matched adults without diabetes. Age and sex matching was possible for 93 pairs of type 1 and type 2 participants. The main outcome measure was incident hip fracture hospitalisation.

RESULTS

During a mean ± SD 14.5 ± 5.8 years of follow-up, the incidence rate ratio for first hip fracture hospitalisation in type 1 participants versus residents without diabetes was 6.39 (95% CI 1.94-22.35, P < .001). In Cox proportional hazards modelling, type 1 diabetes was associated with cause-specific hazard ratio (csHR) for hip fracture of 7.11 (2.45-20.64, P < .001) after age and sex adjustment. Hip fracture in type 1 participants was associated with older age, osteoporosis treatment, depressive symptoms, ethnicity, systolic blood pressure, serum HDL-cholesterol, albuminuria and serum adiponectin (P ≤ 0.047); associations remained for the first three of these variables after adjustment for age and body mass index (P ≤ 0.025). The csHR for incident hip fracture was 5.32 (1.12-25.37, P = .036) for type 1 versus 2 diabetes.

CONCLUSIONS

Hip fracture risk is markedly elevated in type 1 diabetes compared with age and sex-matched individuals without diabetes and with type 2 diabetes from the same population.

Bipolar Spectrum Disorders in Male Youth: The Interplay between Symptom Severity, Inflammation, Steroid Secretion, and Body Composition

The morbidity and societal burden of youth bipolar spectrum disorders (BSD) are high. These disorders are multisystemic in that adult populations there are clear interactions with inflammatory processes and steroidal physiological systems. There are much less data concerning these areas of study in youth populations with BSD. This is surprising given the association of youth-onset BSD with puberty and its associated physiological changes. In this mini-review, we overview the theoretical role of inflammatory processes and steroidal physiological systems in youth BSD, describe the greater literature in adult populations, detail the literature in youth populations when available, and overview current proposed molecular mechanistic pathways and interaction effects based on the available data. We also attend to the interplay of this complex system with body composition and weight gain, an especially important consideration in relation to the role of second generation antipsychotics as the first line treatment for youth with BSD in major clinical guidelines. A developmental model of early onset BSD for boys is hypothesized with pubertal hormonal changes increasing risk for first (hypo-)manic/depressive episode. The dramatic androgen rise during puberty might be relevant for first onset of BSD in boys. A shift from general hypercortisolism driven by glucocorticoid resistance to hypocortisolism with further disease progression is assumed, while increased levels of inflammation are functionally associated with endocrine dysregulation. The interacting role of overweight body habitus and obesity in youth with BSD further indicates leptin resistance to be a central moderator of the dynamic neurobiology of BSD in youth. The intent of this mini-review is to advance our knowledge of youth BSD as multisystemic disorders with important contributions from endocrinology and immunology based on a developmental perspective. This knowledge can influence current clinical care and more importantly inform future research.