Regular exercise also strengthens the bones

People who have congestive heart failure have six times greater risk of suffering hip fractures than those with other types of cardiac problems, according to a new study published in the Circulation, the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Congestive heart failure, or simply heart failure, is a condition where the heart is not able to pump enough blood to other organs in the body.

Fractures, particularly hip bone fractures, can prove fatal as they lead to higher risk of serious blood clots and lung infections. Nearly a third of patients die within a year of suffering a hip fracture. Those who survive experience significant loss of function and independence, and many of them require long-term care.

The study, carried out by researchers at the University of Alberta, covered 16,294 patients, aged 68 to 84, who had been treated for heart disease at emergency rooms in Alberta.

One year after their emergency room visit, 4.6 percent of people who had been treated for heart failure suffered a fracture. In contrast, only 1 percent of people who had been treated for other types of heart disease experienced a fracture.

For those with heart failure, their one-year rate towards experiencing a hip fracture was 1.3 percent. The rate was 0.1 percent for patients of other types of heart disease.

The overall risk for heart failure patients to have a fracture was four times that of other heart patients. They also had six times higher risk of having a hip fracture. This was true even after the researchers had accounted for other health problems, age, gender, and medications taken.

The researchers did not know the exact reasons for the relationship, but they suspect patients were not getting enough calcium or vitamin D.

Heart failure patients have raised levels of a hormone which in turn may stimulate the parathyroid gland to produce its own hormone that regulates calcium in the blood. When levels of parathyroid hormone increase, more calcium is removed from the bones and dissolved in the blood, leading to osteoporosis. This increases the risk of fractures.

Another possibility for the higher risk of fracture is the reduced level of physical activity by heart failure patients. They are not inclined to exert themselves because their hearts are not able to work well. The lack of exercise leads to loss of bone mass.

The researchers recommend that doctors should screen their heart patients more closely for bone density.

Many hospitalizations and deaths in the United States are due to heart failure. It affects 2.2 percent of the general population and occurs in 8.4 percent of Americans older than 75.

Osteoporosis is present in 10 million Americans, occurring in about 25 percent of women and 12 percent of men aged 50 and over.

Safety Tips:

* Get regular exercise. In addition to other benefits, exercise also strengthens the bones.

* Get at least 1,400 units daily of vitamin D. Everyone, from children to adults, should get enough of this vitamin, which helps in the metabolism of calcium.

* If you smoke, quit. Smoking is a contributory factor to osteoporosis.

* Get several minutes of exposure to sunlight everyday. Sunlight is a major source of vitamin D.