ORIGINAL ARTICLES   

Gazzetta Medica Italiana Archivio per le Scienze Mediche 1998 August;157(4):105-9

Copyright © 1998 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Effect of treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis with continuous daily oral alendronate and the incidence of fractures

Carfora E. ¹, Sergio F. ², Bellini P. ¹, Sergio C. ³, Falco D. ², Zarcone R. ¹

¹ Second University of Naples, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology; ² Second University of Naples, Department of Orthopaedy and Traumatology; ³ Second University of Naples, Department of Biochemistry

Back­ground. Alen­dro­nate is a ­potent ami­no­bi­sphos­pho­nate ­which spe­cif­i­cally ­inhibits oste­o­clastic ­bone resorp­tion and has ­been ­found to ­reserve ­bone ­loss. The aim of ­this ­study is to deter­mine if ­daily ­oral alen­dro­nate treat­ment ­could pre­vent or ­reserve ­bone ­loss in oste­op­o­rotic post­men­o­pausal ­women.
­Methods. ­Between ­December 1993 and May 1996 we ­have ­studied, at the ­Obstetric and Gy-nae­co­logic ­Clinic of II Uni­ver­sity of ­Naples, 136 ­women, 44-73 ­aged, in ­postmen­o­pause ­from 5 ­years, ­with oste­o­por­osis (­defined as a ­bone min­eral den­sity of the ­lumbar ­spine ­that was at ­least 2.5 SD ­below the ­mean ­value in pre-men­o­pausal ­women).
­Bone min­eral den­sity was meas­ured by ­dual-­energy X-ray absorp­tiom­etry. ­During ­this ­period of two and ­half ­years of obser­va­tion, the ­effects of alen­dro­nate ­were mon­i­tored on the bio­chem­ical indi­ca­tors of ­bone remod­el­ment and on the metab­olism of the cal­cium; the ­degree of cer­tainty and tol­er­ability of ­this ­drug has ­also ­been ­assessed.
­Results. The ­women ­receiving alen­dro­nate had sig­nif­i­cant, pro­gres­sive ­increases in ­bone min­eral den­sity in the ­spine, ­whereas ­those ­receiving pla­cebo had ­decreases in ­bone min­eral den­sity.
The rel­a­tive ­risk of a new frac­ture ­among the ­women ­treated ­with alen­dro­nate, as com­pared ­with ­those ­receiving pla­cebo, was 0.55.
Con­clu­sions. The ­therapy ­with alen­dro­nate has, on the ­basis of ­data pro­posed ­from ­this ­study, a ­good tol­er­ability and is ­very effec­tive in the treat­ment of ­postmen­o­pausal oste­o­por­osis.