Bone density linked to fracture risk in chronic kidney disease
Each one-unit higher bone density score was linked to approximately 45% lower fracture risk in adults with and without dialysis.
Our read
Biomarkers- Studied:
- Cohort study of 733 adults with chronic kidney disease, median 1,694 days
- What changed:
- Fracture risk was approximately 45% lower per one-unit higher bone density T-score in adults with and without dialysis
- The catch:
- Only 83 fractures occurred, and categorical risk estimates had extremely wide confidence intervals
- In the record:
- The 823rd paper on bone mineral density with results in people; 3,109 on record in all. Its result on bone fracture agrees with 6 of 10 other findings on record; 4 point the other way.
Editor of record: Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
Adults with chronic kidney disease—918 in total—were included in a retrospective observational study of medical records from 2010 to 2024. Of these, 514 received dialysis and 404 did not. Bone density measurements were available for 733 people.
Over a median follow-up of 1,694 days, 83 fractures occurred. Higher bone density was associated with lower fracture risk in both groups after accounting for age, sex, body mass index and diabetes. Researchers measured bone density using a T-score, which compares it with that of young adults. Bone density generally predicted five-year fracture risk better than two blood markers related to bone health. Its advantage over one marker, a calcium-regulating hormone, was less clear without dialysis. Neither blood marker was associated with fracture risk.
Why it matters
Fracture risk is a concern as people age with chronic kidney disease. The findings support using bone density to help assess that risk, with or without dialysis.
Caveats
The medical-record analysis could not rule out differences in health or care beyond the factors it adjusted for. Bone density measurements were unavailable for some participants, and the study excluded people with previous fractures or kidney transplants.
The paper
Korea University Guro Hospital; Korea University
BMC Nephrology, Jun 17, 2026, Open access
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