Abstract:

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the efficacy of adding intranasal calcitonin to estrogen replacement therapy on bone mass density in postmenopausal osteoporosis. Twenty posmenopausal women were randomized to receive either 100IU intranasal salmon calcitonin in addition to 0.625 mg conjugated estrogens and 2.5 mg medroxyprogesterone acetate or 0.625 mg conjugated estrogens and 2.5 mg medroxyprogesterone acetate alone. Women were assessed at 6 months for bone mass density at lumbar spine and femur neck. Both treatment groups not only stopped further bone loss, but had a small increase in bone mass density at the end of 6 months of treatment. In conclusion it appears that adding calcitonin to estrogen treatment in postmenopausal patients does not have an additive effect in inreasing bone mass density. However intranasal calcitonin, may be an alternative in patients suffering from pain due to postmenopausal osteoporosis.

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