Osteoporosis is a condition of fragile bone with increased chances of fracture. It has been estimated that sleep apnea may increase a risk of development of osteoporosis in women of older age. As is known, sleep apnea causes frequent and regular breath interruptions during night’s sleep. If it remains untreated, it may result in various complications such as stroke, heart attack, cardiovascular disease, and so forth. Researchers suggest that sleep apnea harms many body systems and skeletal system is not an exception. As sleep apnea leads to low oxygen levels, it may impact bones.

The study tracked 1377 patients who had sleep apnea. The results showed that the incidence of bone disease was 2.7 higher in participants suffering from sleep apnea, than in those who didn’t suffer from this condition. And after the data were adjusted according to age, gender, co-existing diseases, income, and location, the association between these two conditions became even more evident. Researchers emphasize that today more and more people are diagnosed with sleep apnea and people should be aware of the increased risk of developing complications. Thus, this study determines that there is a strong relation between sleep apnea and osteoporosis. Just being armed with this information may help to prevent the development of this severe bone disease and identify strategies for future.

Yu-Li Chen, Shih-Feng Weng, Yuan-Chi Shen, Chien-Wen Chou, Chwen-Yi Yang, Jhi-Joung Wang, Kai-Jen Tien. Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Risk of Osteoporosis: A Population-Based Cohort Study in Taiwan. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2014.