The New England journal of medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Intermittent etidronate therapy to prevent corticosteroid-induced osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis is a recognized complication of corticosteroid therapy. Whether it can be prevented is not known. We conducted a 12-month, randomized, placebo-controlled study of intermittent etidronate (400 mg per day for 14 days) followed by calcium (500 mg per day for 76 days), given for four cycles, in 141 men and women (age, 19 to 87 years) who had recently begun high-dose corticosteroid therapy. The primary outcome measure was the difference in the change in the bone density of the lumbar spine between the groups from base line to week 52. Secondary measures included changes in the bone density of the femoral neck, trochanter, and radius and the rate of new vertebral fractures. ⋯ Intermittent etidronate therapy prevents the loss of vertebral and trochanteric bone in corticosteroid-treated patients.