Fall Prevention and Anti-Osteoporosis in Osteopenia Patients of 80 Years of Age and Older: A Randomized Controlled Study

Objective To evaluate the effects of two fall-prevention and anti-osteoporotic protocols in elderly patients with osteopenia (OPA). Methods The present randomized controlled study included patients with OPA (n =123). The age of these patients was >= 80 years old, with the mean age of 83.54 +/- 2.99 years, and the male-to-female ratio was 2.97:1.00. Fall-prevention guidance was given to all patients. Patients in the experiment group (n = 62) orally received 600 mg/d of calcium carbonate, 0.5 mu g/d of alfacalcidol, and 70 mg/week of alendronate, while patients in the control group (n = 61) orally received 600 mg/d of calcium carbonate and 0.5 mu g/d of alfacalcidol for 18 months. The grip strength, gait speed, bone turnover markers, serum calcium, serum phosphorus, parathyroid hormone (PTH), and bone mineral density were measured, and the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test and the chair rising test (CRT) were performed. Falls, fragility fractures, medication compliance, and side effects of the drugs were recorded. Results The serum levels of bone turnover markers (type I procollagen amino-terminal peptide [P1NP], type I collagen carboxyl terminal peptide [beta-CTx], and osteocalcin [OC]) decreased, while the bone mineral density of the lumbar spine and bilateral femoral neck increased after treatment in the experiment group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). The rate of change in bone mineral density of the bilateral femoral neck was higher in the experiment group than the control group (3.43% vs 0.03%, P < 0.05; 2.86% vs -0.02%, P < 0.01). After treatment, the proportion of patients with increased hip T scores in the experiment group (66.1%, 41/62) was significantly higher than the proportion (35.0%, 21/60) in the control group (P = 0.001). The incidence of fall decreased in both groups after treatment compared to that before treatment (54.8% vs 33.9% and 54.1% vs 36.7%, respectively; P < 0.05). The incidence of fragility fractures was lower in the experiment group than the control group (8.1% vs 20.0%, P = 0.057). During the intervention period, the incidence of fragility fractures in patients who did not fall (3.8%, 3/79) was significantly lower than that in patients who fell (32.6%, 14/43) (P = 0.000). The risk of fragility fractures was significantly lower in patients who did not fall compared to patients who fell (relative risk: 0.117, 95% confidence interval: 0.035-0.384). Conclusion The combination of alendronate sodium with alfacalcidol and calcium can significantly improve the bone mineral density of the lumbar spine and femoral neck. For older patients with OPA, subjectively paying attention to avoiding falls can significantly reduce the risk of fragility fractures.