Abstract
Study design
Randomized controlled trial.
Objectives
To determine the effect of zoledronic acid on bone loss in people with acute spinal cord injury (SCI)
Settings
Sawai Man Singh Medical College, India.
Methods
Sixty patients with acute SCI were randomized to receive either standard treatment alone or standard treatment with zoledronic acid within 3 months after injury. Areal bone mineral density (aBMD) was measured at the hip using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) at baseline 3, 6, and 12 months.
Results
Significant differences in aBMD were found between the standard treatment alone and standard treatment plus zoledronic acid group at the femoral neck (−0.13; 95% CI, −0.18 to −0.09, p < 0.0001), and total hip (−0.16; 95% CI, −0.19 to −0.12, p < 0.0001), respectively, at 1 year and bone loss was reduced in the zoledronic acid treated group as compared to the standard treatment group. Significant differences in aBMD between the groups at 6 months post infusion was also observed at these sites. [Femoral neck −0.08; 95% CI, −0.12 to −0.03; p = 0.002 and total hip −0.12; 95% CI, −0.15 to −0.08; p < 0.0001]
Conclusion
A zoledronic acid 5 mg infusion given within 3 month significantly reduces bone loss at the hip after 6 months post infusion in patients with acute SCI.
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Acknowledgements
We are grateful to Dr. Prof. Kusum Lata Gaur, Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, SMS Medical College, Jaipur for giving me valuable suggestions and for her help with the statistical analyses. We would like to acknowledge Mr. Shrikant Sharma, Senior radiographer, Department of Radio-diagnosis for his assistance with the DXA scans.
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Goenka, S., Sethi, S., Pandey, N. et al. Effect of early treatment with zoledronic acid on prevention of bone loss in patients with acute spinal cord injury: a randomized controlled trial. Spinal Cord 56, 1207–1211 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41393-018-0195-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41393-018-0195-7
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