Authors: Bergner R, Henrich D, Hoffmann M, Schmidt-Gayk H, Lenz T, Upperkamp M
Bisphosphonates inhibit bone resorption and are widely used to treat osteolytic metastases and osteoporosis. Renal osteodystrophy patients have continuous bone loss due to chronically elevated parathyroid hormone (PTH). In this open-label study, ibandronate was evaluated for the treatment of reduced bone density in renal osteodystrophy. Patients (n=16) with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and regular hemodialysis schedules were recruited. All patients had low bone mineral density (BMD; lumbar spine T-score <-1.0) and elevated PTH levels (>2-fold higher than normal). Patients received ibandronate 2 mg every 4 weeks for 48 weeks. Serum levels of markers of bone turnover, calcium, phosphate and magnesium w...