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Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of calcitriol on bone mass in patients with corticosteroid induced osteoporosis. Thirty-seven patients (26 females, 11 males, mean age 66.4 years) with pulmonary disease under long-term treatment with corticosteroids (5–10 mg prednisolone daily) and osteopenia/osteoporosis verified by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) measurement were enrolled into the study. Rocaltrol was prescribed to 30/37 of the patients, the rest of the patients (6 females, 1 male) served as controls. In the treatment group, there was a slight increase of bone mass in the hip and lumbar vertebrae (L1–L4), whereas the control group showed a decrease of bone mass (change rate of bone mass in patients +0.8% and +1.0%, respectively, vs. –1.9% and –0.3%, respectively, in the control group). The preliminary results of our study suggest a beneficial role for the treatment of corticosteroid induced osteoporosis with Rocaltrol, which is well-tolerated by patients and cost-efficient in patient management.