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Alendronate Boosts Bone Mineral Density in Children with Rheumatic Diseases and Secondary Low Bone Mass

Alendronate therapy substantially increases bone mineral density in pediatric patients with rheumatic diseases and secondary low bone mass.

Dr. Rolando Cimaz, at the Clinica Pediatrica, ICP, Milan, Italy, and colleagues evaluated changes in bone metabolism and disease activity markers in 45 pediatric patients with rheumatic diseases, aged five to 18 years, who were treated with alendronate for 12 months. There were 31 females and 14 males.

Among the variables they analyzed were demographic and anthropometric data, biochemical markers of bone metabolism, disease activity indexes, and bone mineral density values.

For all variables, the investigators calculated differences between levels at baseline and at 12 months and then evaluated correlations between the variables and between the bone mineral variation.

The investigators found a statistically significant decrease in both bone resorption and bone formation markers over the 12 month treatment period. By contrast, no disease activity index changed significantly during that period.

Changes in bone mineral Z score did not correlate with erythrocyte sedimentation rate, matrix metalloproteinase-3, interleukin 6, or C-reactive protein variations over the same period, they reported.

"These results support the conclusion that alendronate treatment is accompanied by a reduction of bone turnover in pediatric patients and that the observed bone mineral density increase is not secondary to a reduction of inflammatory activity," the researchers concluded.
J Rheumatol 2002; 29:1786-1792. "Changes in Markers of Bone Turnover and Inflammatory Variables During Alendronate Therapy in Pediatric Patients with Rheumatic Diseases"

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