[Multidisciplinary study of the prolonged treatment of involution osteoporosis using sodium fluoride with calcium,...

A multidisciplinary study on the prolonged treatment of involution osteoporosis with fluoride was performed on a homogeneous population of 31 women aged 51 to 75 years (mean 64 years). The selection criteria were the following: significant backache, vertebral compression fractures on X-rays, bone biopsy evidence of osteoporosis, and absence of other risk factors after a complete workup. The patients were treated for a period of 3 to 6 years (mean 4 years) with daily doses of 30 mg (10 mg 3 times) fluorides ion associated during the last 3 years with 500 mg calcium twice daily, 750 mg phosphate and 1000 units vitamin D daily. The study demonstrated a favourable effect of the treatment on the backache and that it was well tolerated in the majority of cases, the side effects being intermittent osteo-articular pains of the lower extremities due to the fluoride in 9 patients, and gastric intolerance to the phosphate in 7. X-ray follow-up showed slowing of the vertebral compressions after the first year of treatment, but no effect on fractures of the extremities. There was no evidence of alterations in parameters of mineral and bone metabolism, and in endocrine, hepatic, renal or hematological assays. Histomorphometric and biophysical examination of biopsies indicated that, although there was no significant increase in the quantity of mineralized bone under the treatment, there was a very significant improvement in the crystallinity of the mineral substance, thus enhancing the quality of the bone tissue and its resistance to pressure. This study is the first in which a catamnesis of the patients was undertaken, 28 of them having received a clinical and radiological examination 2 years after the end of therapy: a favourable evolution was observed in most of the cases, both in those patients treated for a period of 3 years and in those whose treatment had lasted for a longer period.