Reducing osteoporosis-associated fractures in men

NEW YORK, Aug 31 (Praxis Press). Although osteoporosis is less common in men than in women, 25% to 30% of all hip fractures occur in men. In a two-year double-blind trial, Orwoll and colleagues studied the effect of 10 mg of alendronate or placebo, given daily, on bone mineral density in 241 men (age 31 to 87 years) with osteoporosis. All received calcium and vitamin D supplements. The researchers then measured percent changes in lumbar spine, hip, and total-body mineral density. They found that men who received alendronate had a mean increase in bone mineral density of 7.1% ± 0.3% at the lumbar spine, 2.5% ± 0.4% at the femoral neck, and 2.0% ± 0.2% for the total body. In contrast, men who received placebo had an increase in lumbar spine bone mineral density of 1.8% ± 0.5% and no significant changes in femoral-neck or total body bone...