Adults with cerebral palsy at higher risk for osteoporosis

(HealthDay)—Cerebral palsy (CP) is associated with an increased risk for osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, according to a study published in the August issue of Bone.

Neil E. O'Connell, Ph.D., from Brunel University London, and colleagues used data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (1987 to 2015) to identify 1,705 adults with CP and 5,115 controls matched for age, sex, and general practice.

The researchers found that adults with CP had an increased risk for osteoporosis in both unadjusted (hazard ratio, 3.67) and adjusted (hazard ratio, 6.19) analyses. There was no evidence of an increased risk for inflammatory musculoskeletal diseases in either unadjusted or adjusted analyses. In the unadjusted analysis, there was no increased risk for osteoarthritis, but there was an increased risk after adjusting for alcohol consumption, smoking status, and mean yearly general practice visits (hazard ratio, 1.54).

"These findings provide the strongest epidemiological evidence to date for increased risk of osteoporosis and osteoarthritis in people with CP, and highlight need for clinical awareness of such conditions in this population," the authors write.

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