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| |  Biphosphonates May Help Avoid Corticosteroid-Induced Osteoporosis WASHINGTON, MD -- November 10, 1997 -- New data presented this weekend at the American College of Rheumatology's National Scientific Meeting offers hope for arthritis sufferers who may develop osteoporosis as a result of taking corticosteroids for their primary disease -- arthritis. The use of corticosteroids increases the risk of developing osteoporosis, a major public health problem affecting one in two women and one in eight men over the age of 50 in America today. "Exciting new research shows that bisphosphonate medications, which are already available, may prevent the bone loss caused by corticosteroid medications such as prednisone and cortisone, commonly used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other diseases,” said Robert Lindsay, MD, PhD, president of the National Osteoporosis Foundation. "Osteoporosis is a serious and common complication of corticosteroid therapy at any age. Anyone about to go on corticosteroids, or anyone who has been on them, should have a bone density test. "These studies offer new hope to people who must use these medications and we look forward to FDA consideration of bisphosphonates for this indication." Osteoporosis is a preventable and treatable disease that causes bones to thin and weaken, leaving people susceptible to fractures. Anyone at risk for osteoporosis, including people who must take corticosteroids, should ask their doctor about a bone density test, a painless test to detect bone loss and diagnose osteoporosis. Some other osteoporosis risk factors include being female, being menopausal or postmenopausal, having a family history of osteoporosis, a personal history of fractures, a thin or small build, and being Caucasian or Asian.
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