Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsConnection Between Arthritis & OsteoporosisRisksTreatment and ManagementPrevention
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Connection Between Arthritis & Osteoporosis
Risks
Treatment and Management
Prevention
This article explores the connection between arthritis and osteoporosis, including how to treat and manage the conditions together.
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Arthritis and osteoporosis are chronic, progressive conditions, meaning symptoms worsen over time. Arthritis means “joint inflammation,” and evidence suggests that inflammation can destroy bone tissue and lead to bone loss associated with osteoporosis.
There are manytypesof arthritis. Below are examples of specific forms of arthritis linked to osteoporosis.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis(RA) is anautoimmunecondition that occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy cells.This leads to joint inflammation, pain, and swelling.
Psoriatic Arthritis
Psoriatic arthritis(PsA) is inflammatory arthritis that causes inflammation in the joints andentheses(where ligaments and tendons attach to bones). About 30% of people withpsoriasis— a disease that causes inflamed, scaly patches of skin — develop PsA.
Studies show that people with PsA have an increased risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures than people without PsA. This is especially notable in peopel with PsA with high disease activity and inflammation in the hips.
Axial Spondyloarthritis
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis(OA), the most common type of arthritis, is a degenerative joint disease that develops whencartilage, a flexible connective tissue that provides cushioning for bones and joints, breaks down.
Research is unclear as to whether or not OA increases the risk of osteoporosis. A 2022 research review found that OA is associated with a higher risk of osteoporosis in the lumbar spine (lower back) and not other bones in the body.
Arthritis and osteoporosis are both associated with inflammation, which can damage joints, bones, and other body tissues over time.Certain factors can worsen inflammation and increase the risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures, including:
High Disease Activity
Disease activity is the amount ofinflammationand severity of symptoms a person with arthritis has. High disease activity can stimulate the production of cells that break down bone, leading to significant bone loss and an increased risk of fractures.
Glucocorticoid Medications
These medications, also known as corticosteroids or steroids, are fast-acting anti-inflammatory medications often prescribed to treat arthritis. Though effective at reducing inflammation, research shows that steroids affect how the body metabolizes vitamin D and calcium. Long-term use has been shown to cause lower bone density and bone loss.
Reduced Physical Activity
Just like muscles, bones become stronger through exercise, particularly weight-bearing and resistance exercises. In addition, joint pain and stiffness can make physical activity difficult, impacting bone density and increasing the risk of osteoporosis.
Aging
The risk of developing osteoporosis increases as people age, particularly women. When coupled with the impact of arthritis-related inflammation, there is an even greater risk of low bone density and reduced bone mass.
Health Conditions and Behaviors
Certain health conditions and behaviors increase the risk of developing arthritis and osteoporosis, including:
Treatment and Management of Arthritis With Osteoporosis
Though arthritis and osteoporosis are connected, they require different treatments. People with both conditions may see arheumatologist, a healthcare provider with expertise in managing arthritis and osteoporosis simultaneously.
Treatments for arthritis vary, depending on the form. Arthritis medications are designed to manage symptoms and slow disease progression. Common arthritis treatments include:
Medications for osteoporosis are designed to slow bone loss and promote bone formation to prevent fractures. First-linetreatmentsfor osteoporosis include:
Along with taking medications as prescribed for osteoporosis and arthritis, practicing healthy behaviors can help prevent bone loss, reduce the risk of fracture, and control inflammation. Such behaviors include:
If you have arthritis, there are certain things you can do to keep your bones strong and healthy and prevent osteoporosis.
Lifestyle Habits
In addition to treating and managing arthritis and osteoporosis, the following lifestyle habits help prevent the development of both conditions:
Screenings
Talk to your healthcare provider about your risk of osteoporosis if you have an arthritis diagnosis. They may recommend a test that measures your bone mineral density (BMD).
Bone mineral density testsdetect low bone density before osteoporosis develops. Healthcare providers use them to diagnose osteoporosis, assess your risk of fractures, and monitor the effectiveness of osteoporosis treatments.
A dual-energy X-rayabsorptiometry(DXA) is the most common and reliable test to measure bone mineral density. The DXA uses a scanner to take X-rays of your body and measure your BMD.
Symptoms to Watch For
Osteoporosis develops slowly over time; it is a “silent disease” that many people don’t know they have until they break a bone. As a result, osteoporosis symptoms, such as tooth loss and back pain, may be attributed to another cause or mistaken for arthritis-related pain.
Talk to your healthcare provider if you develop sudden severe back pain, loss of height, or a stooped-over posture (kyphosis). These are symptoms of a spinal vertebrae fracture. Fractures can result from a minor fall or even bending, coughing, or lifting in people with osteoporosis.
Summary
Arthritis and osteoporosis are chronic, progressive diseases affecting joints and bones. Research shows that inflammation — a key feature of arthritis — can destroy bone tissue, leading to bone loss and an increased risk of fractures (broken bones).Screening tests can look for early signs of bone loss. Your healthcare provider can prescribe medications that promote bone growth or prevent bone loss to prevent or treat osteoporosis.
A Word From Verywell
Arthritis has strong connections to osteoporosis, particularly in post-menopausal women and those with a family history of osteoporosis or a personal history of fractures.If you have arthritis and osteoporosis, you can manage symptoms of both conditions through medications and healthy habits to keep your bones healthy and strong.
22 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Arthritis Foundation.What is arthritis?National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.Osteoporosis.Pouresmaeili F, Kamalidehghan B, Kamarehei M, Goh YM.A comprehensive overview on osteoporosis and its risk factors.Ther Clin Risk Manag. 2018;14:2029-2049. doi:10.2147/TCRM.S138000Epsley S, Tadros S, Farid A, Kargilis D, Mehta S, Rajapakse CS.The effect of inflammation on bone.Front Physiol. 2021;11:511799. doi:10.3389/fphys.2020.511799Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Rheumatoid arthritis.Liu YQ, Liu Y, Chen ZY, Li H, Xiao T.Rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis: a bi-directional Mendelian randomization study.Aging (Albany NY). 2021;13(10):14109-14130. doi:10.18632/aging.203029National Psoriasis Association.About psoriatic arthritis.Wang Y, Song ZB, Deng XR, Zhang XH, Zhang ZL.Risk factors associated with osteoporosis and fracture in psoriatic arthritis.Chin Med J (Engl). 2021;134(21):2564-2572. doi:10.1097/CM9.0000000000001810Arthritis Foundation.Axial spondyloarthritis.Lim MJ, Kang KY.A contemporary view of the diagnosis of osteoporosis in patients with axial spondyloarthritis.Front Med (Lausanne). 2020;7:569449. doi:10.3389/fmed.2020.569449Clunie G, Horwood N.Loss and gain of bone in spondyloarthritis: what drives these opposing clinical features?Ther Adv Musculoskelet Dis. 2020;12:1759720X20969260. doi:10.1177/1759720X20969260Kim D, Pirshahid AA, Li Y, Varghese T, Pope JE.Prevalence of osteoporosis in osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Osteoporos Int. 2022;33(8):1687-1693. doi:10.1007/s00198-022-06376-0Harvard Health Publishing.Chronic inflammation in your joints.Arthritis Foundation.Inflammatory arthritis and bone loss.Hsu CY, Chen JF, Su YJ, et al.Time-averaged disease activity of rheumatoid arthritis associated with long-term bone mineral density changes.Ther Adv Chronic Dis. 2020;11:2040622320981517. doi:10.1177/2040622320981517Hardy RS, Zhou H, Seibel MJ, Cooper MS.Glucocorticoids and bone: consequences of endogenous and exogenous excess and replacement therapy.Endocr Rev. 2018;39(5):519-548. doi:10.1210/er.2018-00097National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.Osteoporosis.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Arthritis risk factors.Arthritis Foundation.Medications for arthritis.Arthritis Foundation.Osteoporosis.National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.Bone health and osteoporosis.Epsley S, Tadros S, Farid A, Kargilis D, Mehta S, Rajapakse CS.The effect of inflammation on bone.Front Physiol. 2021;11:511799. doi:10.3389/fphys.2020.511799
22 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Arthritis Foundation.What is arthritis?National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.Osteoporosis.Pouresmaeili F, Kamalidehghan B, Kamarehei M, Goh YM.A comprehensive overview on osteoporosis and its risk factors.Ther Clin Risk Manag. 2018;14:2029-2049. doi:10.2147/TCRM.S138000Epsley S, Tadros S, Farid A, Kargilis D, Mehta S, Rajapakse CS.The effect of inflammation on bone.Front Physiol. 2021;11:511799. doi:10.3389/fphys.2020.511799Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Rheumatoid arthritis.Liu YQ, Liu Y, Chen ZY, Li H, Xiao T.Rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis: a bi-directional Mendelian randomization study.Aging (Albany NY). 2021;13(10):14109-14130. doi:10.18632/aging.203029National Psoriasis Association.About psoriatic arthritis.Wang Y, Song ZB, Deng XR, Zhang XH, Zhang ZL.Risk factors associated with osteoporosis and fracture in psoriatic arthritis.Chin Med J (Engl). 2021;134(21):2564-2572. doi:10.1097/CM9.0000000000001810Arthritis Foundation.Axial spondyloarthritis.Lim MJ, Kang KY.A contemporary view of the diagnosis of osteoporosis in patients with axial spondyloarthritis.Front Med (Lausanne). 2020;7:569449. doi:10.3389/fmed.2020.569449Clunie G, Horwood N.Loss and gain of bone in spondyloarthritis: what drives these opposing clinical features?Ther Adv Musculoskelet Dis. 2020;12:1759720X20969260. doi:10.1177/1759720X20969260Kim D, Pirshahid AA, Li Y, Varghese T, Pope JE.Prevalence of osteoporosis in osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Osteoporos Int. 2022;33(8):1687-1693. doi:10.1007/s00198-022-06376-0Harvard Health Publishing.Chronic inflammation in your joints.Arthritis Foundation.Inflammatory arthritis and bone loss.Hsu CY, Chen JF, Su YJ, et al.Time-averaged disease activity of rheumatoid arthritis associated with long-term bone mineral density changes.Ther Adv Chronic Dis. 2020;11:2040622320981517. doi:10.1177/2040622320981517Hardy RS, Zhou H, Seibel MJ, Cooper MS.Glucocorticoids and bone: consequences of endogenous and exogenous excess and replacement therapy.Endocr Rev. 2018;39(5):519-548. doi:10.1210/er.2018-00097National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.Osteoporosis.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Arthritis risk factors.Arthritis Foundation.Medications for arthritis.Arthritis Foundation.Osteoporosis.National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.Bone health and osteoporosis.Epsley S, Tadros S, Farid A, Kargilis D, Mehta S, Rajapakse CS.The effect of inflammation on bone.Front Physiol. 2021;11:511799. doi:10.3389/fphys.2020.511799
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Arthritis Foundation.What is arthritis?National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.Osteoporosis.Pouresmaeili F, Kamalidehghan B, Kamarehei M, Goh YM.A comprehensive overview on osteoporosis and its risk factors.Ther Clin Risk Manag. 2018;14:2029-2049. doi:10.2147/TCRM.S138000Epsley S, Tadros S, Farid A, Kargilis D, Mehta S, Rajapakse CS.The effect of inflammation on bone.Front Physiol. 2021;11:511799. doi:10.3389/fphys.2020.511799Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Rheumatoid arthritis.Liu YQ, Liu Y, Chen ZY, Li H, Xiao T.Rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis: a bi-directional Mendelian randomization study.Aging (Albany NY). 2021;13(10):14109-14130. doi:10.18632/aging.203029National Psoriasis Association.About psoriatic arthritis.Wang Y, Song ZB, Deng XR, Zhang XH, Zhang ZL.Risk factors associated with osteoporosis and fracture in psoriatic arthritis.Chin Med J (Engl). 2021;134(21):2564-2572. doi:10.1097/CM9.0000000000001810Arthritis Foundation.Axial spondyloarthritis.Lim MJ, Kang KY.A contemporary view of the diagnosis of osteoporosis in patients with axial spondyloarthritis.Front Med (Lausanne). 2020;7:569449. doi:10.3389/fmed.2020.569449Clunie G, Horwood N.Loss and gain of bone in spondyloarthritis: what drives these opposing clinical features?Ther Adv Musculoskelet Dis. 2020;12:1759720X20969260. doi:10.1177/1759720X20969260Kim D, Pirshahid AA, Li Y, Varghese T, Pope JE.Prevalence of osteoporosis in osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Osteoporos Int. 2022;33(8):1687-1693. doi:10.1007/s00198-022-06376-0Harvard Health Publishing.Chronic inflammation in your joints.Arthritis Foundation.Inflammatory arthritis and bone loss.Hsu CY, Chen JF, Su YJ, et al.Time-averaged disease activity of rheumatoid arthritis associated with long-term bone mineral density changes.Ther Adv Chronic Dis. 2020;11:2040622320981517. doi:10.1177/2040622320981517Hardy RS, Zhou H, Seibel MJ, Cooper MS.Glucocorticoids and bone: consequences of endogenous and exogenous excess and replacement therapy.Endocr Rev. 2018;39(5):519-548. doi:10.1210/er.2018-00097National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.Osteoporosis.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Arthritis risk factors.Arthritis Foundation.Medications for arthritis.Arthritis Foundation.Osteoporosis.National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.Bone health and osteoporosis.Epsley S, Tadros S, Farid A, Kargilis D, Mehta S, Rajapakse CS.The effect of inflammation on bone.Front Physiol. 2021;11:511799. doi:10.3389/fphys.2020.511799
Arthritis Foundation.What is arthritis?
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.Osteoporosis.
Pouresmaeili F, Kamalidehghan B, Kamarehei M, Goh YM.A comprehensive overview on osteoporosis and its risk factors.Ther Clin Risk Manag. 2018;14:2029-2049. doi:10.2147/TCRM.S138000
Epsley S, Tadros S, Farid A, Kargilis D, Mehta S, Rajapakse CS.The effect of inflammation on bone.Front Physiol. 2021;11:511799. doi:10.3389/fphys.2020.511799
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Rheumatoid arthritis.
Liu YQ, Liu Y, Chen ZY, Li H, Xiao T.Rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis: a bi-directional Mendelian randomization study.Aging (Albany NY). 2021;13(10):14109-14130. doi:10.18632/aging.203029
National Psoriasis Association.About psoriatic arthritis.
Wang Y, Song ZB, Deng XR, Zhang XH, Zhang ZL.Risk factors associated with osteoporosis and fracture in psoriatic arthritis.Chin Med J (Engl). 2021;134(21):2564-2572. doi:10.1097/CM9.0000000000001810
Arthritis Foundation.Axial spondyloarthritis.
Lim MJ, Kang KY.A contemporary view of the diagnosis of osteoporosis in patients with axial spondyloarthritis.Front Med (Lausanne). 2020;7:569449. doi:10.3389/fmed.2020.569449
Clunie G, Horwood N.Loss and gain of bone in spondyloarthritis: what drives these opposing clinical features?Ther Adv Musculoskelet Dis. 2020;12:1759720X20969260. doi:10.1177/1759720X20969260
Kim D, Pirshahid AA, Li Y, Varghese T, Pope JE.Prevalence of osteoporosis in osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Osteoporos Int. 2022;33(8):1687-1693. doi:10.1007/s00198-022-06376-0
Harvard Health Publishing.Chronic inflammation in your joints.
Arthritis Foundation.Inflammatory arthritis and bone loss.
Hsu CY, Chen JF, Su YJ, et al.Time-averaged disease activity of rheumatoid arthritis associated with long-term bone mineral density changes.Ther Adv Chronic Dis. 2020;11:2040622320981517. doi:10.1177/2040622320981517
Hardy RS, Zhou H, Seibel MJ, Cooper MS.Glucocorticoids and bone: consequences of endogenous and exogenous excess and replacement therapy.Endocr Rev. 2018;39(5):519-548. doi:10.1210/er.2018-00097
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Arthritis risk factors.
Arthritis Foundation.Medications for arthritis.
Arthritis Foundation.Osteoporosis.
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.Bone health and osteoporosis.
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