AccessMyLibrary provides FREE access to over 30 million articles from top publications available through your library.
Create a link to this page
Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:
Estrogen, bisphosphonate combo enhances BMI rise. (One Expert's Opinion).
SAN ANTONIO -- Estrogen is not finished as a treatment for osteopenia or osteoporosis in postmenopausal women, despite the dramatic results from the Women's Health Initiative study according to Dr. Susan L. Greenspan.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)--unopposed estrogen or estrogen plus a progestin--is an option for selected women, she said at the annual meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research. HRT is effective for reversing osteoporosis and osteopenia, especially when combined with a bisphosphonate, she added.
She cited evidence supporting that view from a randomized, controlled study of 373 women over age 65 years. At baseline, all of the women had a total hip bone mineral density of no more than 0.9 g/[cm.sup.3]; all were able to tolerate HRT during a 3-month, open-label, run-in phase, said Dr. Greenspan, professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh.
After 3 years, combined treatment with HRT and alendronate (Fosamax) was associated with average increases in bone mineral density that were 1.5%-4% greater than with either drug alone, said Dr. Greenspan, who is on the speaker's bureau for Merck, which markets Fosamax. She said she does not receive funding from manufacturers of estrogen products.
Other experts do not agree ...