Teriparatide Treatment in Patients With WNT1 or PLS3 Mutation-Related Early-Onset Osteoporosis: A Pilot Study

We previously identified 2 Finnish families with dominantly inherited, low-turnover osteoporosis caused by mutations in WNT1 or PLS3.

This prospective, longitudinal, uncontrolled study was undertaken to evaluate whether these patients respond to teriparatide.

We recruited 6 adults (median age, 54 years); 3 with a WNT1 missense mutation, c.652T>G, and 3 with a PLS3 splice mutation, c.73-24T>A, to receive teriparatide 20 μg daily for 24 months. Five patients had previously used bisphosphonates.

Outcome measures included lumbar spine and hip bone mineral density (BMD) by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, distal radius peripheral quantitative computed tomography, spinal radiography, serum bone turnover markers, paired iliac crest biopsies.

All patients showed increases in formation markers procollagen type 1 amino-terminal propeptide (90% to 398%) and osteocalcin (50% to 280%) and in resorption markers cross-linked C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (58% to 457%) and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5b (20% to 68%) in first 6 months. Lumbar spine BMD increased 5.2% to 7.9% in 5 patients and femoral neck BMD 2.6% to 7.8% in 4 patients in 24 months. Distal radius cortical volumetric BMD decreased 5.4% to 26.1%. In histomorphometric analyses, osteoid indices increased more consistently in patients with WNT1 vs PLS3 mutation. Eroded surface decreased 44% to 100% in all patients. Adipocyte number increased in 5 patients studied.

Patients with WNT1 or PLS3 mutation-related osteoporosis responded to teriparatide treatment. Future studies are needed to evaluate whether observed changes translate to fracture resistance.