Alendronate use and Changes in Bone Mineral Density

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To evaluate the changes in bone mineral density (BMD) after alendronate intake and to determine the side effects and patient compliance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two hundred twelve patients with osteoporosis were treated with alendronate. One hundred sixty-two patients were excluded because of early discontinuation. Thus, 50 patients were included in the analysis. RESULTS: The annual increase in BMD in patients taking alendronate was 7.2% (1st year), 3.4%, 2.0%, and 0.9% (4th year) in the L-spine, and 2.2%, 1.5%, -0.9%, and 0.9% in the femur. The changes in BMD of patients70 of age were 2.9% and 1.2% in the L-spine and femur, respectively. The BMD changes in patients with a T-score3.0 were 2.5% and 3.1% for the Lspine and femur, respectively. The reasons for early discontinuation of alendronate were difficulty in intake, economic reasons, and adverse events. CONCLUSION: The BMD changes were greater in the L-spine than the femu in alendronate users. At the first year, the changes in BMD was greatest. There was no significant difference in BMD change according to age. In the Lspine, however, BMD changes were greater in the group with lower T-scores. The early discontinuance rate was 74%, and the adverse events rate was 19.8%.