Prevention with clodronate of osteoporosis secondary to inhaled corticosteroid treatment in patients with chronic asthmatic bronchitis

Steroid therapy is the third most common cause of osteoporosis, after loss of gonad function and senescence. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the protective action of clodronate on bone mass loss induced by steroid therapy. Sixty patients with bronchial asthma receiving either fluticasone (250 mg x 4/day) or beclomethasone (250 mg x 4/day) inhaled corticosteroid treatment were enrolled. Half the patients received combination treatment with clodronate (100 mg i.m./14 days), for a total period of 12 months. All patients were evaluated at baseline and at the end of treatment for bone mineral density (BMD) and calcium/phosphor metabolism parameters (kalemia, kaluria, phosphoremia, phosphaturia, alkaline phosphatase and hydroxyprolinuria over a 24-h period). The results of this preliminary study confirm the protective influence of clodronate on bone mass loss, as documented by the increment in mean values in BMD reported at the end of treatment compared with baseline values.