Positive effect of alendronate on bone mineral density and markers of bone turnover in patients with rheumatoid arthritis on chronic treatment with low-dose prednisone: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: Alendronate has been described to have a bone-sparing effect in patients treated with moderate and high dosages of prednisone for heterogeneous diseases, however no data are available on groups of patients with the same underlying diseases who receive chronic low-dose prednisone treatment. The objective of the investigation reported here was, therefore, to study the effect of alendronate on bone mineral density (BMD) of the lumbar spine and hips in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who are on chronic low-dose prednisone treatment. METHODS: A total of 163 patients with RA, according to the ACR-criteria, were enrolled in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. The patients were treated with low-dose prednisone (