NAMS Updates Position Statement on Osteoporosis Management

In a 2021 position statement issued by The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) and published in the September issue of Menopause, updated recommendations are presented for osteoporosis prevention and management in postmenopausal women. Jennifer Blake, MD, from the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada in Ottawa, and colleagues reviewed evidence regarding osteoporosis screening, prevention, diagnosis, and management and updated the NAMS position statement. The authors note that osteoporosis is especially prevalent in older postmenopausal women and increases the risk for fracture. Postmenopausal bone loss, which is linked to estrogen deficiency, is the main contributor to osteoporosis. Other risk factors include advanced age, genetics, smoking, thinness, and certain diseases and drugs that harm bone health. “This new position statement on osteoporosis provides clinicians with a practical guide to assessing and managing bone health in postmenopausal women and emphasizes an individualized approach with regular follow-up and adjustment based on changing clinical needs and patient preference,” Stephanie Faubion, MD, medical director of NAMS, said in a statement.

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Psoriasis Not Linked to Preclinical Markers of Dementia

Psoriasis is not associated with preclinical markers of dementia risk or with mild cognitive impairment, but may be associated with a lower risk for developing dementia, according to a study published in the September issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. Elena Pezzolo, MD, from Erasmus Medical Center University Medical Center in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and colleagues compared cognition, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) markers, and dementia risk in 318 patients with psoriasis and 9,678 patients without psoriasis in models adjusted for age, sex, education, and cardiovascular risk factors. The researchers observed no significant difference between those with and without psoriasis in cognitive test scores and volumetric, microstructural, and focal measures on brain MRI; furthermore, psoriasis was not associated with mild cognitive impairment. “Preclinical markers of dementia are comparable between psoriasis and nonpsoriasis participants,” the authors write. “The first results related to dementia show no increased and perhaps even a protective effect of psoriasis on dementia risk, although ongoing follow-up in the Rotterdam Study will allow us to more accurately investigate the final outcome of dementia.”