Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Practice Point
  • Published:

Alendronate versus alfacalcidol in the prevention of glucocorticoid-induced bone loss

Nature Clinical Practice Rheumatology volume 3, pages 10–11 (2007)Cite this article

boxed-textde Nijs RNJ et al. (2006) Alendronate or alfacalcidol in glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis. N Eng J Med 355: 675–684

If alendronate 35 mg weekly is prescribed to maintain bone density, clinicians should also recommend supplemental calcium intake, such as 1,000–1,500 mg per day, and maintain serum vitamin 25OHD levels at 30–60 mg/ml to optimize calcium absorption

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Richy F et al. (2005) Vitamin D analogs versus native vitamin D in preventing bone loss and osteoporosis-related fractures: a comparative meta-analysis. Calcif Tissue Int 76: 176–186

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Lucky MM et al.(2003) Therapeutic equivalence of alendronate 35 milligrams once weekly and 5 milligrams daily in the prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Obstet Gynecol 101: 711–721

    Google Scholar 

  3. Hahn, TJ et al. (1979) Altered mineral metabolism in glucocorticoid-induced osteopenia. Effect of 25 hydroxy vitamin D administration. J Clin Invest 63: 655–663

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Holick MF (2006) The role of vitamin D in bone health and fracture prevention. Curr Osteoporosis Rep 4: 96–102

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The synopsis was written by Jasmine Farsarakis, Associate Editor, Nature Clinical Practice.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bevra H Hahn is a Professor of Medicine and the Chief of Rheumatology, and TJ Hahn is a Professor of Medicine, at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California in Los Angeles. TJ Hahn is also Chief of Geriatrics, at the West Los Angeles Veteran's Administration Health Care Center, CA, USA.,

    Bevra H Hahn & Theodore J Hahn

Authors
  1. Bevra H Hahn
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Theodore J Hahn
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bevra H Hahn.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hahn, B., Hahn, T. Alendronate versus alfacalcidol in the prevention of glucocorticoid-induced bone loss. Nat Rev Rheumatol 3, 10–11 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncprheum0370

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ncprheum0370

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing