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Risedronate Curbs New Fractures In High-Risk Postmenopausal Women
A DGReview of :"Risedronate prevents new vertebral fractures in postmenopausal women at high risk."
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism
03/11/2003
By Anne MacLennan
Risedronate significantly and consistently curbs the likelihood of new vertebral fractures in high-risk postmenopausal women, researchers in the United States have found.
Already shown in several large trials to be safe and effective for osteoporotic patients, the effects of risedronate in populations at high risk have not been well defined.
To determine the effect of risedronate on vertebral fracture in high-risk women, Dr N B Watts and colleagues from the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, examined data from two large randomised double blind studies of postmenopausal osteoporotic women [the Vertebral Efficacy with Risedronate Therapy (VERT) Multinational (VERT-MN) and VERT-North America (VERT-NA)].
Participants were 3,684 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis who were treated with placebo or risedronate 2.5 mg/d or 5 mg/d.
The investigators analysed subgroups of subjects at high risk for fracture due to greater age or more prevalent fractures (versus median for overall study population) or due to lower bone mineral density (T-score, -2.5 or less).
Fractures were diagnosed via quantitative and semiquantitative assessment of radiographs at baseline and at one year after initiation of treatment.
In the overall population, treatment for one year with 5 mg/d of risedronate reduced risk of new vertebral fractures by 62% over that in control subjects.
Similarly, risk of multiple new vertebral fractures was reduced by 90% in women on five mg/d risedronate versus controls.
The risedronate-treated high-risk subgroups showed consistent risk reductions at one year, the researchers report.
They conclude significant reduction in fracture risk after one year is an important benefit in patients at high risk for fracture; without treatment, these patients are likely to sustain new fractures in the near term.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2003 Feb;88:2:542-9.
"Risedronate prevents new vertebral fractures in postmenopausal women at high risk."
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