The Effects of Alendronate in Bone Metabolism of Primary Osteoporosis

Abstract

Background : To evaluate the effects of alendronate in preventing bone loss at the spine and hip in Korean cases of primary osteoporosis, we treated 138 patients with 10 mg of alendronate daily.Of the 138 patients treated, 50 were treated for one complete year, and at their final visit, measurements were taken to assess the completed outcome of the reatment, and the results from this small group were compared with those of the rest. The way this has been written causes ambiguity concerning exactly who was being studied. Check that my rewrite of this section conveys correctly the group that was studied, and how. Methods: The serum levels of calcium(Ca) and phosphorous(P), total alkaline phosphatase (ALP), the urine calcium creatinine ratio (Uca/cr) and urine deoxypyridinoline (DPD) were measured before, during, and after the 1 year treatment period. The bone mineral densities (BMDs) at the spine and hip were also measured before and after the treatment period. New clinical fractures and side effects, were evaluated during the treatment period. Results: The total serum ALP and urine DPD were decreased significantly, after the treatment period, by 38.3 and 40.5% respectively. The bone mineral density at the spine and hip were significantly increased after l year, by 6.7 and 2.0%,respectively. Of the 50 subjects who had completed a full year of treatment, only 4 (8%) had developed new clinical fractures. Of the 138 patients who had been treated, 8 (5.8%) discontinued the medication due to side effects. Of these, 7 had gastrointestinal symptoms, and I had skin eruption. Conclusion: Alendronate significantly decreased the total serum ALP and urine DPD and significantly increased spine and hip bone mineral density. Alendronate 10 mg was effective in preventing bone loss in Korean cases of primary osteoporosis.