Inflammation may play an important role in the etiology of fractures in older men, a recent study found. Researchers used a case-cohort design and measured inflammatory markers in a random sample of 961 men and in men with incident fractures, including 120 clinical vertebral, 117 hip, and 577 non-spine fractures; average follow-up, 6.13 years (7.88 years for vertebral fractures). They found:

• In multivariable adjusted models, men with the highest tumor necrosis factor (TNF) cytokine concentrations and their receptors had a 2.9 fold higher risk of hip and clinical vertebral fracture than men with the lowest.

• There was no association between C-reactive protein and IL-6SR and fracture.

• Men with the highest quartile of IL-10 had a 49% lower risk of vertebral fracture compared to men in the lowest quartile.

• Among men with >3 inflammatory markers in the highest quartile, the hazard ratio for hip fractures was 2.03 and for vertebral fracture, 3.06.

Citation: Cauley JA, Barbour KE, Harrison SL, et al. Inflammatory markers and the risk of hip and vertebral fractures in men: The Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS). [Published online before print July 2, 2016]. J Bone Miner Res. doi:10.1002/jbmr.2905.