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Osteoporosis

Description

An in-depth report on the causes, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of osteoporosis.

Highlights

Drug Approvals

• Ibandronate (Boniva) approved as first once-a-month pill for both treatment and prevention of osteoporosis.
• Ibandronate (Boniva) injection approved as the first intravenous bisphosphonate for treatment of osteoporosis. The injection is given once every 3 months in a doctor’s office.
• Risedronate (Actonel) approved to treat osteoporosis in men.

Investigational Drugs

A once-yearly bisphosphonate drug, administered in a 15-minute intravenous infusion, may be the next new osteoporosis treatment. Encouraging Phase III results for Reclast were presented at the 2006 meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

Osteonecrosis of the Jaw

Osteonecrosis (bone decay) in the jaw is a rare side effect of bisphosphonate drugs. It has mostly occurred in patients who received intravenous bisphosphonates, but there have been a few cases in people who took oral bisphosphonates. Talk to your doctor if you have signs of jaw or gum discomfort.

Calcium Supplements for Osteoporosis Prevention

Calcium and vitamin supplements do not have major benefits for osteoporosis prevention, according to a landmark Women’s Health Initiative clinical trial. The 2006 study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine , found that the supplements provide only modest protection for hip fractures and bone loss, and may increase the risk of kidney stones. Doctors have different opinions about whether women should continue to take supplements.

Bone Density Screening

• Bone density screening can help prevent hip fractures, according to a 2005 study in the Annals of Internal Medicine . However, researchers were unsure if exercise behavior and other lifestyle factors had a greater effect on fractures than screening.
• Women who need screening the most are least likely to get it, suggests a 2006 study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society . The study found that less than 10% of women older than age 75 received bone density screenings, even though they are the group most at risk for hip fractures.

• Review Date: 10/18/2006
• Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, M.D., Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital

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