Work

Effect of Zoledronic Acid in Hepatic Osteodystrophy: A Double-Blinded Placebo-Controlled Trial

Year: 2023

Type: article

Study designs: Randomized Controlled Trial, Clinical Trial

Abstract: Purpose: Literature on the treatment of pre-transplant hepatic osteodystrophy (HOD) is limited. The general treatment measures and their timing are currently adopted from the literature on postmenopausal osteoporosis. Therefore, we conducted this randomized study to investigate the effect of zoledronic acid (ZA) on HOD. Methods: We randomized 36 male patients with cirrhosis (Child-Pugh class A and B) into 19 to the ZA arm and 17 to the placebo arm, respectively. Patients in the ZA arm received a single infusion of 4 mg ZA dissolved in 100 mL of normal saline at baseline, while patients in the placebo arm received a similar infusion of normal saline at baseline. The primary outcome of the study was the change in lumbar spine bone mineral density (LS-BMD) at 12 months. Results: = 0.008], respectively. The trabecular bone score (TBS) did not improve significantly in either arm. The incidence of vertebral fractures (VFs) was similar in both arms. There was a significant decrease in plasma beta-C-terminal telopeptide (β-CTX) levels in the ZA arm compared to the placebo arm, while the change in plasma levels of procollagen 1 intact N-terminal propeptide (P1NP) was similar in both arms. Six patients (31.6%) in the ZA arm experienced adverse reactions such as fever and myalgia. Conclusion: ZA improved LS-BMD in male patients with HOD by decreasing bone resorption. However, it may not improve trabecular microarchitecture or prevent morphometric VFs in this population.

Source: Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism

DOI: 10.4103/ijem.ijem_233_23