Carotid artery intima media thickness (CIMT) is a subclinical measure of atherosclerosis. Researchers conducted a prospective study to determine whether treatment with alendronate sodium would have an impact on CIMT in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis.

"Osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease are major health problems that lead to morbidity and mortality," the researchers note in their paper. "Bisphosphonates are among the drugs used most frequently worldwide to treat osteoporosis, especially in older women."

For their study, the researchers enrolled 71 postmenopausal women who were diagnosed with osteoporosis using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry and who underwent B-mode ultrasonography on right and left middle and distal main carotid arteries to determine measures of CIMT at baseline and at the end of the study.

The women were treated with alendronate sodium for an average of 13 months (range, 11-15).

Average CIMT value at baseline was 0.734 mm, and at the end of the treatment period this value was -.712 mm (range, 0.601-0.823), a difference that was not statistically significant, according to the researchers.

"Treatment of osteoporosis does not seem to have an effect on CIMT, which is an early marker of atherosclerosis," the authors conclude in their paper.


CITATION:
Delibasi, T, Emral, R, Erdogan, MF, Kamel, N. Effects of alendronate sodium therapy on carotid intima media thickness in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. Adv Ther 2007;Mar-Apr;24(2):319-325.

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