Effects of treatment with etidronate and alfacalcidol for osteogenesis imperfecta type I: a case report

A case of osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) that was successfully treated with oral etidronate and alfacalcidol is reported. A 36-year-old man with OI type I who had frequently been experiencing fragile fractures in the long bones of the upper and lower extremities presented to our hospital with back pain caused by fragile thoracic vertebral fractures. He was treated with intermittent cyclical etidronate (200 mg/day for 2 weeks per 3 months) and alfacalcidol (1 microgram/day, daily) over 18 months. The bone mineral density of the lumbar spine (L1-L4) measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (Hologic QDR 1500 W) increased over 18 months, and back pain due to thoracic vertebral fractures markedly decreased. No new fragile vertebral or nonvertebral fractures were observed during the 18 months of treatment. This report provides evidence indicating that treatment with intermittent cyclical oral etidronate and alfacalcidol has potential use in adult patients with OI type I.