In a study published in a recent issue of Arthritis & Rheumatology, investigators found that patients with lupus nephritis were far more likely to break a bone than patients who do not have lupus.

“Patients with lupus nephritis may be at particularly high risk of fracture due to secondary or tertiary hyperparathyroidism and vitamin D deficiency,” said study author Sara Tedeschi, M.D., MPH, a rheumatology fellow at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Lupus can affect any part of the body, including the bones and bone tissue. New research reviewed bone fracture rates within Medicaid 2007-2010 in people with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), lupus nephritis (LN) and non-SLE.