Journal of bone and mineral research : the official journal of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
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J. Bone Miner. Res. · Jan 1994
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialLong-term (3 years) prevention of trabecular postmenopausal bone loss with low-dose intermittent nasal salmon calcitonin.
The long-term effect of intermittent low-dose nasal salmon calcitonin on trabecular early postmenopausal bone loss was assessed as follow-up to a previously published study. Randomized controlled group comparison was made of 287 healthy women with 6-36 months of natural menopause and no treatment interfering with calcium metabolism at an outpatient clinic for research in bone and cartilage metabolism. The 287 women were randomly allocated to 3 years of treatment with either 500 mg/day, 5 days/week of calcium or the same amount of calcium plus 50 IU/day, 5 days per week of nasal salmon calcitonin. ⋯ The difference between the evolution of the two groups was significantly (p < 0.01) different after 6 months of treatment and remained so until the end of the study. No significant changes were recorded in biochemical parameters reflecting bone turnover. As previously shown during a 1 year follow-up, nasal salmon calcitonin given at low dose and intermittently, in association with calcium, can counteract trabecular postmenopausal bone loss.