title: Effect of simvastatin treatment on bone mineral density and bone turnover in hypercholesterolemic postmenopausal women: a 1-year longitudinal study.
abstract: Although several studies have reported a lower risk of osteoporotic fracture in hypercholesterolemic patients treated with statins, so far longitudinal studies on the effects of statins on bone are lacking. The aim of the present study was to evaluate bone mineral density (BMD) and bone turnover changes induced by 1-year simvastatin treatment on postmenopausal women. Thirty consecutive postmenopausal hypercholesterolemic women (61.2 +/- 4.9 years) were treated for 12 months with 40 mg/day simvastatin and 30 normocholesterolemic age-matched postmenopausal women provided control data. In all subjects, at baseline and at 3-month intervals, serum lipids, calcium, phosphate, total and bone alkaline phosphatase (Bone-ALP), and carboxy-terminal fragment of type I collagen (CTx) were measured in a fasting blood sample. At baseline and after 6 and 12 months BMD was measured at lumbar spine (BMD-LS) and at femur (BMD-Ftot) and at femoral neck (BMD-Fn) by DXA. In the simvastatin-treated group Bone-ALP showed a significant increase (P < 0.05) with respect to baseline from the sixth month, whereas serum CTx showed a weak and nonsignificant increase over the study period. In treated women BMD-LS, BMD-Fn, and BMD-Ftot increased respectively by 1.1, 0.9, and 0.4% at Month 6; and by 2.8, 1.0, and 0.8% at Month 12. In controls BMD-LS, BMD-Fn, and BMD-Ftot at the end of the study period decreased by 1.6, 1.4, and 1.2%, respectively. The difference between controls and simvastatin-treated patients was significant (P < 0.05) for both BMD-LS and BMD-Fn only at Month 12. In conclusion our results, although obtained from a small sample of postmenopausal hypercholesterolemic women, suggest a probable positive effect of simvastatin on bone formation and BMD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Siena, Italy. amontagnani@unisi.it
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Montagnani
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gonnelli
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cepollaro
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pacini
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Campagna
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Franci
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lucani
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gennari
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000187:drug effects; D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015519:Bone Density / Q000187:drug effects*; D016723:Bone Remodeling / Q000187:drug effects*; D003094:Collagen / Q000097:blood / Q000187:drug effects; D024042:Collagen Type I; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000188:drug therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D015663:Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010455:Peptides / Q000097:blood / Q000187:drug effects; D019821:Simvastatin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents; D024042:Collagen Type I; D010455:Peptides; C052929:collagen type I trimeric cross-linked peptide; D003094:Collagen; D019821:Simvastatin; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase