Background@#In a
randomized controlled trial , we compared the
bone mineral densities (BMDs) and
blood markers of
bone turnover during short-term
treatment of osteoporotic
women with
bisphosphonate alendronate or bazedoxifene, a
selective estrogen receptor modulator . @*
Methods @#Ten and eleven
patients were randomized to the
alendronate and bazedoxifene groups, respectively. BMDs were measured before and after 6 months of
treatment .
Blood tests were used to
measure the levels of
osteocalcin (OC), C-terminal telopeptide of
type I collagen (CTX),
vitamin D3 , and
parathyroid hormone pretreatment and after 3 and 6 months of
treatment . The variables were compared statistically. @*Results@#The
alendronate group showed decreases in
blood levels of both OC and CTX during the study period (P<0.001 and P=0.002, respectively), while the bazedoxifene group had a decrease only in OC levels (P=0.012). After 6 months of
treatment , BMDs significantly increased in the
alendronate group at multiple
bone sites, including the L1–4
lumbar vertebrae ,
femur trochanter , and total
femur . However, there was no significant increase in BMD in the bazedoxifene group. BMDs were not significantly different between the 2 groups. @*Conclusions@#
Patients treated with
alendronate showed more rapid
suppression of markers of
bone turnover and higher BMD than those treated with bazedoxifene during a short-term regime. Considering the effects and
complications of each medication, the relationship between
bone turnover rate and
bone quality
will need to be investigated in
future studies.