Zoledronate Therapy in Osteogenesis Imperfecta: Perspectives in Indonesia Tertiary Hospital

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a rare disease with an estimated incidence of between 1/25,000 and 1/10,000 globally. The main treatment for OI is the administration of bisphosphonate drugs. Research on clinical, radiographic, and biochemical markers to monitor patients with OI treated with zoledronate can be challenging in countries in which patients have limited national health insurance. We aimed to examine patients with OI treated in Indonesia with a minimum follow-up period of 2 years.

An observational study was conducted of all patients with OI treated with zoledronate between 2021 and 2023 at a tertiary hospital in Indonesia. We evaluated the paediatric quality of life (PedsQL), bone mineral density (BMD), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) level before and after zoledronate treatment. To monitor safety, serum creatinine and calcium levels were also measured.

Eleven boys (55%) and nine girls (45%), with an average age of 6.9 years (range, 4-17 years), were included. After 2 years of zoledronate treatment, the total PedsQL score increased from 66.7 to 76.9 (P=0.0001) and the mean lumbar and total body BMD increased from 0.467 and 0.501 to 0.599 g/cm2, and 0.626 g/cm2 (P=0.001), respectively. The ALP level decreased from 310.6 to 186.4 mg/mL (P=0.0001). Neither serum creatinine (P=0.586) nor calcium (P=0.53) levels changed from the pre-treatment to 2 years post-treatment time points.

Zoledronate was safe and effective for the treatment of OI. There were significant improvements in the quality of life and BMD in patients with OI. The ALP level decreased, but serum creatinine and calcium levels were not affected by zoledronate.