Comparison of the Effects of Alendronate and Calcitonin in Postmenopausal Osteoporosis

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the effects of oral alendronate and intranasal calcitonin on bone mineral density for treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Materials and Methods: One hundred and five patients were recruited in this retrospective study. There were 78 patients given alendronate 10 mg/day (Group 1), and 27 patients given calcitonin nasal spray 200 IU/day (Group 2). All patients in both groups received calcium 600 mg/day and Vitamin D 400 IU/day. The patients were followed up for three years regularly. Assessment of bone density of two body regions (lumbar spine L2-4 and proximal femur) using (Lunar-DXA) was made for all patients at baseline, at the end of first and third years. Annual differences in bone density were evaluated with respect to BMD (gr/cm(2)) and T scores. One-way ANOVA, Newman Keuls multiple comparison test, unpaired t test and Mann-Whitney U test were used for the statistical analysis. Results: In the first group, the increments in BMD values were statistically significant in lumbar spine and femoral neck (p<0.0001) in both the first and 3rd years. In the calcitonin group, significant increase in femoral neck density was observed in the first and 3rd year (p<0.05). Conclusion: According to this study, beneficial effects of alendronate treatment have begun in the 12th month in both spine and femur while calcitonin was effective on femoral neck region. BMD values improved more with alendronate treatment, than with calcitonin treatment. Turk J Phys Med Rehab 2009;55:102-6.