title: Effects of adding alendronate to ongoing hormone therapy on bone mineral density in postmenopausal Korean women: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of adding the bisphosphonate alendronate (ALEN) to ongoing hormone therapy (HT) on bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal Korean women.
  
  
  METHODS
  This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial at a university hospital included a total of 139 postmenopausal women who had low BMD after HT lasting at least 1 year. Women received either ALEN (10 mg/d) or placebo in combination with HT for 1 year. Changes in BMD and biochemical markers of bone turnover were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Lumbar spine and total hip BMDs increased significantly in both treatment groups after 1 year. The addition of ALEN, when compared with HT alone, did not produce a significant change in BMD at the lumbar spine (3.7% vs 4.3%) and total hip (2.2% vs 3.2%) after adjusting for controllable variables. Serum osteocalcin showed a similar change, but urinary deoxypyridinoline response differed between treatment groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Compared with HT alone, the addition of ALEN to ongoing HT for 1 year does not make a difference in BMD among postmenopausal Korean women with low BMD.
authors: Departments of Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors: Yong-Ki
authors: YK
authors: Min
authors: Dong-Yun
authors: DY
authors: Lee
authors: Suk-Joo
authors: SJ
authors: Choi
authors: Joo Han
authors: JH
authors: Kim
authors: DooSeok
authors: D
authors: Choi
authors: Byung-Koo
authors: BK
authors: Yoon
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D019386:Alendronate / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000652:urine; D015519:Bone Density / Q000187:drug effects*; D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy; D005260:Female; D006615:Hip; D006801:Humans; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae; D008875:Middle Aged; D015675:Osteocalcin / Q000097:blood; D015663:Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal / Q000188:drug therapy; D010384:Pelvic Bones; D010919:Placebos; D056910:Republic of Korea
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents; D010919:Placebos; D015675:Osteocalcin; C036020:deoxypyridinoline; D019386:Alendronate