Background: Bone healing after fractures is influenced by many different factors. Besides patient-related factors, such as age, gender and other comorbidities, other drugs taken also have a relevant impact on bone healing.
Objective: The aim of the study was to give an overview of the effects of frequently used drugs on fracture healing, with the exception of specific osteoporosis drugs and hormones.
Material and methods: This overview is based on a medline search with the search string of each pharmacological agent.
Results: Frequently used pharmacological substances were identified, for example corticosteroids, antihypertensive drugs, diuretics, antidepressive drugs, antiepileptics, statins, antibiotics, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, anticoagulants and others. Except for antihypertensive drugs, thiazide diuretics and statins, which have osteoprotective effects and stimulate bone healing, all other drugs have negative effects on fracture healing in preclinical and animal studies. Clinical data are scarce.
Conclusion: Data for the effects of the abovementioned pharmacological substances could be found mostly in preclinical studies. The effects of these agents on bone healing in humans has currently not been studied or published. Therefore, the use of these drugs should be discussed carefully in cases with a compromised fracture healing.
Keywords: Bony callus; Drug effects; Fracture healing; Osteoporosis; Pseudarthrosis.