News Research*

It has been discussed controversially in recent years whether joint arthrosis does not only cause pain and limitations, but also increases mortality. A group of researchers from the Swedish University in Lund has conducted a large-scale study on this question. The health-related data of residents aged between 45 and 84 in the Skåne region were analysed over a period of ten years. Of the 469,152 residents in this age group, 29,189 were diagnosed with osteoarthritis. The researchers compared the mortality rate per 1,000 persons of people without osteoarthritis with those suffering from knee, hip, hand or other osteoarthritis.

Increased risk of cardiovascular disease

No increased mortality could be observed for most causes of death. However, the risk of dying from a cardiovascular disease was increased by 13% in patients with hip joint arthrosis, and by almost 20% in patients with knee arthrosis. Further research about the reasons for this significantly higher mortality rate is needed. Martin Englund from the University of Lund in Sweden, the author of the study, suspects that one possible cause is that the vascular system is afflicted by chronic inflammatory processes. Another possible explanation might be that people affected exercise significantly less than healthy people. Since physical activity in arthrosis patients is typically accompanied by sometimes severe pain, many patients avoid movement as much as possible. Especially in the case of knee and hip arthrosis, which showed the highest mortality rate in the study, the walking distance is often severely restricted and sport is usually impossible. Englund: "This creates a risk of weight gain, which, as we know, can lead to secondary diseases such as cardiovascular diseases."

References
Dr. S. Reinberger (2019): Arthrose geht mit einem erhöhten Risiko für kardiovaskuläre Erkrankungen einher.  https://www.univadis.de/
A. Turkiewicz et al. (2019): Cause-specific mortality in osteoarthritis of peripheral joints. Osteoarthr. Cartil. 27(6): 848–854. doi: 10.1016/j.joca.2019.02.793. PMID: 30797945

Necrosis of the jaw caused by anti-resorptives

Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw or MRONJ means an osteonecrosis of the jaw caused by certain medication. About 1.7 million patients suffering from osteoporosis take anti-resorptive drugs. These drugs, for example bisphosphonates, shall slow down the progression of the osteoporosis. For the first time in 2001, American research results indicated that these substances might cause necrotic changes in the jaw. Necrosis of the jaw shows in exposed bones that can be present for some time without causing complaints. It can be accompanied by various symptoms of inflammation such as pain, swelling, tooth loosening, halitosis or sensitivity disorders in the lower lip.

Why is the jaw bone affected?

The jaw is directly exposed to the microbial flora after microtraumas due to the proximity to the germ-contaminated mouth and its thin oral mucosa without protective soft tissue coat.

What should be done?

Inform your dentist if you are taking antiresorptive medication such as bisphosphonates, denosumab or antiangiogenic medication such as bevacizumab.

MBST therapy for Osteoporosis

The MBST therapy for osteoporosis does not include antiresorptive or antiangiogenic. Which is why there is no risk of a possible side effect of drug-associated necrosis of the jaw. Get informed here and decide for yourself if MBST therapy may be an option for you.