Medication We present results for this section as originally presented by the study authors.
Rate of falls Falls were reported both inSato2005a and Sato2011.Sato 2005a indicated that of 158 falls during the two-year follow-up, 22 were in the vitamin D group and 136 in the placebo group. Vitamin D supplementation accounted for a 59% reduction in falls (95% CI 28% to 82%, P = 0.003) after adjustments for the covariates. Sato 2011 reported about 77 falls recorded during the one-year follow-up period, with 10 falls in the alendronate group and 67 in the alphacalcidol group. After adjustments for the covariates, alendronatetreatmentwasassociatedwitha55%reductioninfalls (95% CI 25% to 72%, P = 0.0021).
Number of fallers Sato 2005a indicated that of 158 falls during the two-year follow up period, 11 fallers were in the vitamin D group and 33 in the placebo group. This accounted for a risk ratio of 0.6 (95% CI 0.4 to 0.8) in favor of vitamin D. Sato 2011 reported that during the one-year follow-up, five people fell in the alendronate group and 14 in the alphacalcidol group. This resulted in a relative risk of 0.7 (95% CI 0.5 to 0.9) in favor of alendronate.