Bone Abstracts

The aim of the research was to determine the efficacy of alfacalcidol (Alpha D3 Teva) in the treatment of women with postmenopausal osteoporosis and vitamin D deficiency.

Methods: 20 women with systemic postmenopausal osteoporosis were examined. All patients had vitamin D deficiency (the average level of 25(OH)D in blood serum was (37.16 (24.9, 45.1)) nmol/l). Alfacalcidol was prescribed for 12 month in doses 1 μg. duration of observation was 12 months. Bone mineral density was examined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry ‘Prodigy’ (GE Medical systems, Lunar). 25(OH)D, iPTH and bone turnover markers were evaluated by Elecsys 2010 analyzer (Roche Diagnostics, Germany).

Results: Alfacalcidol therapy leads to significant decreasing of iPTH level (from (49.42 (35.16, 65.87)) to (38.85 (21.91, 54.98)) pg/ml (P<0.05). Markers of bone formation (Osteocalcin, P1NP) during treatment did not change. At baseline β-CTx level was (0.430 (0.271, 45.12)) and decreased to (0.383 (0.228, 0.589)) ng/ml in 12 month (P>0.05). During treatment BMD increased on 1.5% at the lumbar spine, on 5.2% at proximal femur, on 4.0% at the forearm, and on 10.3% at total body.

Conclusions: Alfacalcidol therapy leads to a significant reduction of iPTH level, inhibits bone resorption and leads to improvement of bone mineral density.