Flare-up of hand osteoarthritis caused by zoledronic acid infusion.

Werner de Castro, G R; Neves, F S; de Magalhães Souza Fialho, S C; Pereira, I A; Ribeiro, G; Zimmermann, A F · Osteoporos Int · 2010

case_report · Level V

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Abstract

Zoledronic acid is effective for osteoporosis at a single annual intravenous dose. It usually causes few adverse effects; the most common are related to acute phase reactions. We reported the case of a 64-year-old woman who presented flare-up of hand osteoarthritis after zoledronic acid infusions. Despite the fact that arthralgia is a common side effect of intravenous bisphosphonates, development of inflammatory signs in osteoarthritic joints is a rare event. We hypothesized that this side effect is caused by a release of cytokines secondary to activation of gamma-delta T lymphocytes.

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