Therapeutic effect of alendronate plus caltrate or caltrate alone in type 2 diabetic elderly women with osteoporosis

Objective To compare changes in bone mineral density(BMD)during 6 months of alendronate(ALN)plus Caltrate treatment versus Caltrate alone in diabetic elderly women with osteoporosis and the safety/tolerability of ALN.Methods 72 of T2DM elderly women with osteoporosis were randomly assigned to either ALN plus Caltrate group(37cases)or Caltrate group(35cases):for 6 months 70 mg/week ALN and 600 mg/day Caltrate.BMD at the lumbar spine and hip was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry(DEXA)before and after the treatment.Results In Caltrate group BMD at more sites of lumbar spine and hip was slightly increased,but only in lumbar spine of L_1 and L_4 T values are significantly different(P0.05).ALN plus Caltrate group,BMD at the lumbar spine and hip was increased,especially in the lumbar spine BMD of L_1,L_3,L_4 and L total parts was statistically significant(P0.05).The main adverse reactions:upper abdominal discomfort of ALN and constipation of Caltrate are based.Conclusions ALN plus Caltrate increase BMD significantly relative to Caltrate in diabetic elderly women with osteoporosis.And it is safe and generally well tolerated as a treatment for osteoporosis.