Drug Prevents Hip Fractures in Parkinson's Patients

Ivanhoe Newswire
Tuesday, March 20, 2007; 12:00 AM

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Men with Parkinson's disease are at higher risk for hip fractures, but a drug commonly used to treat osteoporosis in women can help.

Japanese researchers studied the effects of risedronate (Actonel) in about 250 elderly men suffering from Parkinson's disease, comparing a group that took the active drug with another group that received a sham pill for comparison purposes. All of the men also received vitamin D2 supplements.

Overall, nine patients taking the sham pill ended up with a hip fracture. Only three hip fractures occurred among the men taking risedronate.

The authors note risedronate in this study outperformed another osteoporosis drug, alendronate, in another study they conducted among women.

The researchers explain Parkinson's disease often places its victims at high risk for bone loss because people with the disease are less active and spend less time outside in the sun, which can lead to vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D is essential for healthy bone development.

Men in the study who took risedronate had about a 2 percent increase in bone mineral density, while men on the sham pill saw their bone density decrease by almost 3 percent.

"Treatment with risedronate and vitamin D2 increases bone mineral density in elderly men with Parkinson's disease and reduces the risk of hip fractures," conclude the investigators.

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SOURCE: Neurology, 2007;68:911-915