Association of Parkinson’s disease with accelerated bone loss, fractures and mortality in older men: the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) study

Summary Among community-dwelling older men, compared to those without Parkinson’s disease (PD), over approximately 5 years, those with baseline PD had a significantly greater rate of annualized total hip bone loss (−1.1% vs. 0.4%), proportion of incident non-spine fractures (14.9% vs. 7.2%) and mortality (34.8% vs. 9.5%). Introduction The objective of this study was to examine the association of Parkinson’s disease (PD) with bone loss and fractures in older men. Methods This prospective cohort study analyzed data from 5,937 community dwelling men aged ≥65 years at six clinical centers of the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) Study. At baseline and visit two (mean interval 4.6 +/−0.4 SD years), community-diagnosed PD was ascertained by self-report and hip bone mineral density (BMD) was measured using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Incident fractures were self-reported. Fractures and deaths were centrally adjudicated. Results At baseline, 46 (0.8%) men had PD. Age-adjusted mean annualized total hip bone loss was greater in men with vs. those without PD (−1.08% vs. −0.36%, p < 0.001). 15.2% of men with PD and 7.2% of men without PD experienced an incident non-spine fracture (age-adjusted HR 2.4, 95%CI 1.1–5.0). 34.8% of men with PD and 9.5% of men without PD died during follow-up (age-adjusted HR 3.5, 95%CI 2.2–5.5). Associations of PD with bone loss, fractures and mortality were modestly altered by additional individual adjustment for possible confounders. Conclusions In community-dwelling older men, PD was associated with increased bone loss, fractures and mortality. In addition to implementing fall prevention measures, clinicians should consider osteoporosis screening in older men with PD.