ORAL CONTINUOUS CLODRONATE IN THE PREVENTION OF EARLY POSTMENOPAUSAL BONE LOSS

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of 12 months of c ontinuous oral clodronate therapy on bone metabolism in healthy early postmenopausal women. A total of 137 evaluable healthy early postmenop ausal women were given 400 mg/d oral clodronate continuously for 12 mo nths. Thirty age-matched healthy early postmenopausal women were inclu ded as controls. Measures of lumbar L(2)-L(4) and ultradistal radius b one mineral density (LED and URBD, respectively) and bone turnover bio chemical analyses were performed at baseline and after 6 and 12 months of therapy. After 12 months, statistically significant increases in L ED (+1.78 +/- 0.87%) and in URBD (+4.23 +/- 0.91%) were shown in the c lodronate group versus the control group (-4.6 +/- 0.96% and -2.80 +/- 0.51%, respectively; P < 0.01). At the same time, significant decreas es in serum osteocalcin (-4.2 +/- 1.5%), free calcium (-2.5 +/- 0.7%), and urinary hydroxyproline (-9.7 +/- 3.8%) levels were observed in th e treated group (P < 0.01 vs baseline). Within the clodronate group, p atients were divided into two subgroups on the basis of biochemical in dexes indicating a normal (subgroup N) or high (subgroup H) bone turno ver. Statistically significant differences between subgroups N and H w ere observed after 6 and 12 months in the percent change in ultradista l forearm mineral density, serum alkaline phosphatase, and urinary hyd roxyproline excretion. Thus 12 months of oral clodronate treatment was shown to be effective in preventing bone loss in early postmenopausal women, and the drug was particularly effective in high bone turnover conditions.