Telmisartan linked to lower osteoporosis or fracture risk
Telmisartan use was associated with a lower combined risk of osteoporosis or osteoporotic fracture (adjusted hazard ratio 0.65 versus other blood pressure drugs in the same class).
Limit: The cohort covered Taiwan only, limiting generalizability to other populations
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
Researchers studied people aged 51–80 with high blood pressure in Taiwan who newly started telmisartan or another angiotensin receptor blocker, a type of blood pressure drug. The observational cohort study identified new users between 2002 and 2021. Researchers matched the groups to balance their starting characteristics.
Over an average follow-up of 4.35 years, telmisartan use was associated with a lower combined risk of osteoporosis, a condition that weakens bones, or fractures related to bone fragility. The adjusted hazard ratio, a relative measure of risk over time, was 0.65 compared with the other drugs. Separate analyses also linked telmisartan to lower risks of osteoporosis and hip fracture. A secondary analysis linked it to a lower risk of a first fracture related to bone fragility.
Why it matters
Osteoporosis contributes to illness and fragility fractures in older adults. The study bears on whether choosing among blood pressure drugs may also matter for bone health.
Caveats
This observational study could not establish that telmisartan caused the lower risk, even after matching the groups. The findings concern people aged 51–80 with high blood pressure.
The paper
Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital; College of Medicine
Calcified Tissue International, Oct 27, 2026
