Anxiety Levels Predict Bone Mineral Density in Postmenopausal Women Undergoing Oral Bisphosphonates: A Two-Year Follow-Up

Gabriella Martino, Federica Bellone, Carmelo M. Vicario, Agostino Gaudio, Andrea Caputo, Francesco Corica, Giovanni Squadrito, Peter Schwarz, Nunziata Morabito and Antonino Catalano
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Gabriella Martino: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University Hospital of Messina, 98122 Messina, Italy
Federica Bellone: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University Hospital of Messina, 98122 Messina, Italy
Carmelo M. Vicario: Department of Cognitive Sciences, Psychology, Education and Cultural Studies, University of Messina, 98121 Messina, Italy
Agostino Gaudio: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University Hospital of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
Andrea Caputo: Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology and Health Studies, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Francesco Corica: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University Hospital of Messina, 98122 Messina, Italy
Giovanni Squadrito: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University Hospital of Messina, 98122 Messina, Italy
Peter Schwarz: Department of Endocrinology, Research Centre for Ageing and Osteoporosis, Rigshospitalet-Glostrup Hospital, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
Nunziata Morabito: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University Hospital of Messina, 98122 Messina, Italy
Antonino Catalano: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University Hospital of Messina, 98122 Messina, Italy

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 15, 1-12

Abstract: Clinical psychological factors may predict medical diseases. Anxiety level has been associated with osteoporosis, but its role on bone mineral density (BMD) change is still unknown. This study aimed to investigate the association between anxiety levels and both adherence and treatment response to oral bisphosphonates (BPs) in postmenopausal osteoporosis. BMD and anxiety levels were evaluated trough dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), respectively. Participants received weekly medication with alendronate or risedronate and were grouped according to the HAM-A scores into tertiles (HAM-A 3 > HAM-A 2 > HAM-A 1). After 24 months, BMD changes were different among the HAM-A tertiles. The median lumbar BMD change was significantly greater in both the HAM-A 2 and HAM-A 3 in comparison with the HAM-A 1. The same trend was observed for femoral BMD change. Adherence to BPs was >75% in 68% of patients in the HAM-A 1, 79% of patients in the HAM-A 2, and 89% of patients in the HAM-A 3 ( p = 0.0014). After correcting for age, body mass index, depressive symptoms, and the 10-yr. probability of osteoporotic fractures, anxiety levels independently predicted lumbar BMD change (? = 0.3417, SE 0.145, p = 0.02). In conclusion, women with higher anxiety levels reported greater BMD improvement, highlighting that anxiety was associated with adherence and response to osteoporosis medical treatment, although further research on this topic is needed.

Keywords: clinical psychology; anxiety; adherence; osteoporosis; bone mineral density; postmenopausal women; bisphosphonates; alendronate; risedronate; fracture risk (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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