Association Between Depression and Osteoporosis of the United States population: a cross-sectional study

Depression and osteoporosis both are common mental illness for older people and the relationship between osteoporosis and depression is still unclear. This article aims to determine the relationship between depression and osteoporosis among adults aged 50 or older. The study, which included 6153 participants, consisting of the control group (n = 5726) and the osteoporosis group (n = 432), was based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database. Compared with individuals who do not have osteoporosis, those who have osteoporosis have a higher incidence of depression (10.7% vs 6.6%, P =  0.002). Individuals with depression are more likely to also have osteoporosis (OR: 1.60, 95% CI: 1.12 to 2.29, P  = 0.010). On subgroup analysis, there were higher odds ratio of osteoporosis in male (OR: 2.47, 95% CI: 1.21 to 5.05, P  = 0.013), individuals between the ages of 50 to 65 are at a greater risk (OR: 2.16, 95% CI: 1.25 to 3.74, P  = 0.006), high BMI (OR: 1.67, 95% CI: 1.06 to 2.64, P  = 0.027), taking prednisone or cortisone(OR: 2.92, 95% CI: 1.06 to 8.05, P  = 0.039), and patients with high cholesterol levels (OR: 2.14, 95% CI: 1.36 to 3.35, P  = 0.001). Therefore, doctors should pay attention to the osteoporosis middle-aged and elderly people with depression.