Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40062740›Full record

ArticleActa neuropsychiatrica2025

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and osteoporosis: a target trial emulation using real-world data.

Christopher Rohde, Lana J Williams, Michael Berk, Søren Dinesen Østergaard

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Acta neuropsychiatrica, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Christopher RohdeDepartment of Affective Disorders, Aarhus University Hospital - Psychiatry, Aarhus, Denmark.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9458-506X
Lana J WilliamsThe Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation (IMPACT), School of Medicine, Barwon Health, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1377-1272
Michael BerkThe Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation (IMPACT), School of Medicine, Barwon Health, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5554-6946
Søren Dinesen ØstergaardDepartment of Affective Disorders, Aarhus University Hospital - Psychiatry, Aarhus, Denmark.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8032-6208

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesSelective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have been associated with increased risk of osteoporosis, and sertraline may be more potent than citalopram in this regard. Here, target trial emulation was used to investigate whether sertraline, citalopram and escitalopram (the S-enantiomer of citalopram) differentially affect the risk of osteoporosis. Subsequently, it was examined whether SSRIs increase the risk of osteoporosis in a dose-response-like manner.

methodsDanish nationwide registers were used to identify all individuals that initiated treatment for depression with sertraline, citalopram, or escitalopram between January 1, 2007, and March 1, 2019. These individuals were followed until development of osteoporosis, death, or end of follow-up. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to adjust for relevant baseline covariates to emulate randomised treatment allocation to compare the rate of osteoporosis for individuals treated with sertraline, citalopram or escitalopram. Subsequently, the cumulative dose of sertraline, citalopram, and escitalopram was calculated, and Cox proportional hazards regression was used to assess dose-response-like relationships with osteoporosis.

resultsWe identified 27,280, 65,529, and 17,703 individuals initiating treatment with sertraline, citalopram, and escitalopram, respectively. There was no material or statistically significant differential risk of osteoporosis between these groups (adjusted hazard rate ratio, aHRR = 0.98 for citalopram versus sertraline and aHRR = 0.94 for escitalopram versus sertraline). The results were not indicative of the SSRIs having a dose-response-like effect on osteoporosis risk.

conclusionsSertraline, citalopram and escitalopram do not appear to differentially affect the risk of osteoporosis. The lack of clear dose-response-like relationships suggest that they do not have a causal effect on osteoporosis risk.

Indexed as

CitalopramDepressionEscitalopramOsteoporosisSelective Serotonin Reuptake InhibitorsSertralineAdultAgedDenmarkDose-Response Relationship, DrugFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedProportional Hazards ModelsRegistriesCitalopramEscitalopramSelective Serotonin Reuptake InhibitorsSertralineAntidepressantsdepressionepidemiologyosteoporosisselective serotonin reuptake inhibitors

Identifiers

PMID40062740
PMCPMC13130295

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.