Efficacy of risedronate on clinical vertebral fractures within six months.
OBJECTIVE
Postmenopausal osteoporotic women with pre-existing or new incident vertebral fractures are at high risk for future fracture, so prompt treatment is warranted. Risedronate has been shown to reduce the incidence of radiographically-defined vertebral fractures by approximately two-thirds within 1 year.


METHODS
This study examined the effects of risedronate treatment on the time course of the reduction in the risk of clinical vertebral fractures (i.e., symptomatic fractures), on the risk of moderate-to-severe radiographic vertebral fractures, and on height.


RESULTS
In 2442 postmenopausal women with prevalent vertebral fractures from the Vertebral Efficacy with Risedronate Therapy (VERT) studies who received either risedronate 5 mg or placebo, daily risedronate reduced the risk of clinical vertebral fractures within 6 months (RR = 0.08, 95% CI 0.01-0.63), and by 69% at 1 year (RR = 0.31, 95% CI 0.12, 0.78). At 1 year, risedronate also reduced the risk of moderate-to-severe radiographically-defined vertebral fractures by 71% (RR = 0.29 95% CI 0.16, 0.54). Height loss was attenuated with treatment, most notably in patients who experienced new vertebral fractures, with a median difference of 0.73 cm compared with subjects receiving placebo (p = 0.005).


CONCLUSIONS
Risedronate reduces the risk of clinical vertebral fractures in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis within 6 months of commencing treatment.
Roux
Christian
C
Cochin Hospital, René Descartes University, Paris, France. christian.roux@cch.ap-hop-paris.fr
Seeman
Ego
E
Eastell
Richard
R
Adachi
Jonathan
J
Jackson
Rebecca D
RD
Felsenberg
Dieter
D
Songcharoen
Suthin
S
Rizzoli
René
R
Di Munno
Ombretta
O
Horlait
Stephane
S
Valent
David
D
Watts
Nelson B
NB
D001827:Body Height; D012968:Etidronic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005598:Fractures, Spontaneous / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D015663:Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011859:Radiography; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D000068296:Risedronic Acid; D016103:Spinal Fractures / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*
D000068296:Risedronic Acid; D012968:Etidronic Acid