ABSTRACT
The present study assessed the real life therapeutic effects of weekly doses of alendronate in treating a group of osteoporotic patients in Iran. The present historical cohort was conducted on patients who had undergone two or more bone mineral densitometry within an interval of 1.5-2 years in Shariati Hospital bone mineral density department between 2002 and 2010. Patients were asked by phone about consumption of alendronate. The mean increase in the BMD values at different sites was calculated. There was a significant increase in the body mass index [BMI] values of both the individuals taking alendronate and the control group [P<0.001]. Taking the weekly dosage of the drug was associated with a 7.67% increase in the BMD values at the femoral neck, 8.68% at the total hip, and 3.17% at the lumbar spine. Moreover, our results showed a significant difference between the height decline in the two groups [alendronate taking: 0.7 +/- 2.4 vs. control: -0.7 +/- 2.6, P<0.001]. Comparing the results of the present study with that of previous ones revealed the drug is beneficial in improving bone mineral density in Iranians; as well alendronate is more effective in Iranian postmenopausal women when compared with the Americans