<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=40dBXo_0wMHqCio00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=40dBXo_0wMHqCio00" width="2017" height="1486" >Patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) and osteoporosis experience stable bone mineral density (BMD) upon being administered alendronate, according to a study published in Osteoporosis International. SCD can cause a multitude of complications, including those of a skeletal nature; these are collectively termed “sickle bone disease.” Up to 8 in 10 adult patients suffer from low BMD, which raises the risk of hip osteonecrosis and chronic pain. Given the high prevalence of low BMD among patients with SCD, it is important for researchers to have an adequate understanding on the impact of bone loss in this group of patients. Studies suggest that bisphosphonates can preserve and even reverse bone loss in individuals with SCD. The authors of the study sought to explore the impact of the long-term use of one such oral bisphosphonate, alendronate, in a cohort of adult patients with SCD and osteoporosis who were still ambulatory. The research team retrospectively reviewed data from an ambulatory tertiary center in Brazil, the Hematology and Transfusion Medicine Center of the University of Campinas, between January 2009 and September 2019. Patients seen at this center received genotyping for SCD confirmation. Furthermore, they all underwent a detailed bone density assessment. Researchers identified 64 patients seen at this center with both SCD and osteoporosis who received alendronate for a median of 48 months. They found that the low bone density prevalence rates per skeletal site according to WHO criteria was 100% in the lumbar spine, 65% involving the total hip, and 61% involving the femoral neck. In this cohort of patients, the research team reported no interaction between sex and the gradual decline in BMD changes at the lumbar spine, total hip, and the femoral neck. With specific regard to the lumbar spine, BMD in this area increased in those who were on alendronate for 5 years or less; however, a decline was recorded among those who continuously received treatment for more than 5 years. Researchers also found that alendronate had an acceptable safety and tolerability profile, despite its relative long-term use in this cohort of patients. “Since skeletal complications like osteoporosis and osteonecrosis are associated with a more severe SCD phenotype, bisphosphonates’ therapeutic potential may exceed increasing BMD alone,” the authors of the study wrote. “These drugs may alleviate bone pain from skeletal morbidity in SCD, thus filling an unmet need of opioid-sparing agents to treat chronic SCD pain.”<h2>Reference </h2>Adesina OO, Jenkins IC, Galvão F, et al. Alendronate preserves bone mineral density in adults with sickle cell disease and osteoporosis. Osteoporos Int. Published online October 22, 2024. doi:10.1007/s00198-024-07268-1</div></body>

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Alendronate Stabilizes Bone Mineral Density in Patients With SCD and Osteoporosis

Patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) and osteoporosis experience stable bone mineral density (BMD) upon being administered alendronate, according to a study published in Osteoporosis International. SCD can cause a multitude of complications, including those of a skeletal nature; these are collectively termed “sickle bone disease.” Up to 8 in...