University scientists have discovered a link between coronary heart disease and osteoporosis, suggesting both conditions could have similar causes.
In one of the first studies of its kind to use a special scanning technique, researchers found that people with a history of heart disease had substantially lower cortical volumetric bone mineral density in their wrist bone (the distal radius) than those without.
Using a state-of-the-art technique called ‘high resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography’, researchers from Southampton’s Medical Research Council (MRC) Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit were able to visualise multiple layers of the wrist bone, in much the same way a 3D printer might build up layers of an object. These cross section visuals were used to assess symptoms of osteoporosis – a condition that weakens bones, making them more vulnerable to fractures and breaks.
Professor Cyrus Cooper, Director of the MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit and Professor of Rheumatology at the University, says:
“This is one of the first studies to use this technology to explore bone geometry, density and microstructure in patients with heart disease.
The findings highlight the need to evaluate a history of heart disease in the management of osteoporosis in older people and further research is also needed to provide a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms which explain the link between osteoporosis and heart disease.”