[The effect of risedronate treatment on bone turnover markers in patients with hip fracture].

Abstract

The effect of risedronate treatment on bone resorption was investigated quantitatively by measuring N-telopeptide levels in urine of patients with hip fracture. Forty-six women (mean age 75 years) who underwent surgical treatment for intertrochanteric or femoral neck fractures due to minor trauma were divided into two groups according to the order of presentation. One group (26 patients; mean age 77+/-5 years) received oral risedronate 5 mg/day after the fifth postoperative day, while the other group (20 patients; mean age 73+/-6 years) received no drug treatment. Patients who had been on treatment for Paget's disease or osteoporosis or those with renal failure were excluded. Urine samples were collected from all the patients on the second day of hospitalization and at the end of three months to measure N-telopeptide levels, one of the bone turnover markers, with the use of the Osteomark NTx ELISA laboratory kit. The mean urine N-telopeptide level decreased by 49.7% at the end of three months of treatment with risedronate (p<0.0001), whereas there was a 5.8% increase in the N-telopeptide level of the control group. The two groups differed significantly with respect to the levels of bone resorption at the end of three months (p<0.0001). Risedronate treatment was found effective in decreasing bone resorption and thus in reducing the risk for refractures in patients with hip fractures due to minor trauma.