Medical Treatment of Osteoporosis

Dong Won Byun

doi:10.5124/jkma.2004.47.9.889

J Korean Med Assoc > Volume 47(9); 2004 > Article

Byun: Medical Treatment of Osteoporosis

Pharmacotherapeutics

Journal of the Korean Medical Association

Journal of the Korean Medical Association 2004; 47(9): 889-894.

Published online: September 30, 2004

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5124/jkma.2004.47.9.889

Medical Treatment of Osteoporosis

Dong Won Byun, M.D.

Department of Internal Medicine, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Bucheon Hospital, Korea. byundw@schbc.ac.kr

Abstract

Osteoporosis is a common and significant health problem in more than 1/3 of postmenopausal women. Strategies for the medical treatment of osteoporosis are primarily based on decreasing the resorption component of bone turnover by estrogen, alendronate, risedronate, raloxifene, or calcitonine. Recently there are therapies that are focused on increasing bone formation by fluoride, parathyroid hormone, or strontium ranelate. This article reviews the medical treatment of osteoporosis focusing on the pharmacokinetic effects on the bone metabolism, anti-fracture effects, usage of the drugs and their side effects.

Osteoporosis; Treatment; Side effect

References

1. Miller PD. The treatment of osteoporosis. Antiresorptive therapy. Clin Lab Med 2000;20:603-622.

2. Writing group for the Women's Health initiative Investigators. Risks and benefits of estrogen plus progestin in healthy postmenopausal women:Principal results from the Womens Health Initiative randomized controlled trial. JAMA 2002;288:321-333.

3. Dennis MB, Desmond ET, Douglas CB, Kris E, Thomas M, Steven RC, et al. Fracture risk reduction with alendronate in women with osteoporosis:The fracture intervention trial. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2000;85:4118-4124.

4. Steven TH, Nelson BW, Harry KG, Clark DM, Thomas H, Paul DM, et al. Effects of risedronate treatment on vertebral and nonvertebral fractures in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis. JAMA 1999;282:1344-1352.

5. Elizabeth BC, Deborah G, Andreas S, Pamela WA, David AC, Kristine DH, et al. Raloxifene and cardiovascular events in osteoporotic postmenopausal women. JAMA 2002;287:847-857.

6. Meunier PJ, Roux C, Seeman E, Ortolani S, Badurski JE, Reginster JY, et al. The effects of strontium ranelate on the risk of vertebralfracture in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis. N Engl J Med 2004;350:459-468.