ALTHOUGH OSTEOPOROSIS is widely considered a condition predominantly affecting women, it is now clear that osteoporotic fractures are not uncommon in men. Up to 20% of symptomatic vertebral fractures and 30% of hip fractures occur in men causing substantial morbidity, excess mortality, and health and social service expenditure.(1)
Unlike women, men frequently have an underlying secondary cause of osteoporosis and we and others have found such a cause in >50% of men with osteoporosis.(2–4) There is a subgroup of patients (40-50% of men in most series) without associated risk factors who are believed to have primary osteoporosis, also called “idiopathic osteoporosis.”
There is no well-established treatment for idiopathic osteoporosis in men because few clinical trials have specifically examined the effects of treatment on bone density and fracture incidence in men.
The aim of this 1-year randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of daily administration of 200 IU of nasal salmon calcitonin (SCT) in men with idiopathic osteoporosis.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Patients
Twenty-eight men age