Alendronate prevents glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis in patients with rheumatic diseases: A meta-analysis.

ABSTRACT: Glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIOP) is a serious problem for patients with rheumatic diseases requiring long-term glucocorticoid treatment. Alendronate, a bisphosphonate, has been recommended in the prevention of GIOP. However, the efficacy and safety of alendronate in preventing GIOP remains controversial. We performed a meta-analysis to investigate the efficacy and safety of alendronate in preventing GIOP in patients with rheumatic diseases.We retrieved randomized controlled trials from PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library. Two reviewers extracted the data and evaluated the risk of bias and quality of the evidence. We calculated the risk ratio (RR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) for dichotomous outcomes, and the mean difference (MD) with a 95% CI for continuous outcomes using Review Manager, version 5.3.A total of 339 studies were found, and 9 studies (1134 patients) were included. Alendronate was not able to reduce the incidence of vertebral fractures (RR = 0.63, 95% CI: 0.10-4.04, P = 0.62) and nonvertebral fractures (RR = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.15-1.12, P?=?0.08). Alendronate significantly increased the percent change in bone mineral density (BMD) at the lumbar spine (MD?=?3.66, 95% CI: 2.58-4.74, P?

SUBMITTER: Kan SL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4998340 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature