Annual dose of osteoporosis drug better than daily to boost brittle bones' strength.Byline: ANI London, Apr 10 (ANI): Osteoporosis drug, if taken once annually, is better at increasing the strength of brittle bones brit·tle bones n. See osteogenesis imperfecta. brittle bones 1 Osteogenesis imperfecta Bones with ↑ osseous fragility, a phenomenon seen in osteogenesis imperfecta, due to genetic defects–eg, point than a daily dose of the same, says a new study. The researchers, led by Prof David M Reid, from the University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen is an ancient university founded in 1495, in Old Aberdeen, Scotland and a world-renowned centre for teaching and research. It is the fifth oldest university in the United Kingdom and the wider English-speaking world. , found that bone density increased faster in patients injected with zoledronic acid-which has been hailed as a breakthrough in treatment of the condition. But over fifty percent of women stop taking the drugs within a year partly because the medication needs to be taken after fasting for 30 minutes and can cause side effects Side effects Effects of a proposed project on other parts of the firm. . Osteoporosis attacks the density of patients' bones, making them more brittle and likely to fracture or break. It occurs mostly in women after menopause or triggered by the using drugs to target other disease. In the new study, researchers focussed on patients who had developed the condition after taking a group of drugs called glucocorticoids Glucocorticoids Any of a group of hormones (like cortisone) that influence many body functions and are widely used in medicine, such as for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis inflammation. , which is used to treat inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis rheumatoid arthritis Chronic, progressive autoimmune disease causing connective-tissue inflammation, mostly in synovial joints. It can occur at any age, is more common in women, and has an unpredictable course. and asthma. They compared the effect of giving 833 patients either a once-a-year infusion of zelondric acid or the current standard treatment of daily oral drugs. The results found that the annual treatment increased bone density by an average of 4.1 per cent. On the other hand, when patients were given one of the standard drugs, in this case risedronate, bone density increased by 2.7 per cent. The side effects were common, including fever and a deterioration in symptoms from rheumatoid arthritis, but occurred only in the first three days after infusion. "Guidelines recommend prescription of risedronate or alendronate alendronate /alen·dro·nate/ (ah-len´dro-nat) a bisphosphonate calcium-regulating agent used in the form of the sodium salt to inhibit the resorption of bone in the treatment of osteitis deformans, osteoporosis, and hypercalcemia related in many patients given glucocorticoids, who are at increased risk of fracture," The Telegraph quoted the study as saying. It concluded: "However, our study has shown that one intravenous infusion of zoledronic acid provides greater increases in bone mineral density bone mineral density n. See bone density. bone mineral density A measurement of bone mass, expressed as the amount of mineral–in grams divided by the area scanned in cm2. See Bone densitometry. and more rapid and substantial decreases in bone turnover than does daily risedronate." The researchers called for larger studies to establish whether increasing bone density will cut the rate of fracture. The study is published in the latest issue of The Lancet. (ANI) Copyright 2009 Asian News International The Asian News International (ANI) agency provides multimedia news to China and 50 bureaus in India. It covers virtually all of South Asia since its foundation and presently claims, on its official website, to be the leading South Asia-wide news agency. (ANI) - All Rights Reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company |
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