New treatment for osteoporosis offers major benefits for South Florida ...
posttraumatic osteoporosis loss of bone substance following a nerve-damaging injury, sometimes due to an increased blood supply caused by the neurogenic insult, or to disuse secondary to pain; a component of reflex sympathetic dystrophy.
os·te·o·po·ro·sis ( in 20 years promises significant benefits for thousands of South Florida patients, according to a group of local rheumatologists rheumatologist /rheu·ma·tol·o·gist/ (roo?mah-tol´ah-jist) a specialist in rheumatology rheumatology /rheu·ma·tol·o·gy/ (-tol´ah-je) the branch of medicine dealing with rheumatic disorders, their causes, pathology, diagnosis, treatment, etc.
rheu·ma·tol·o·gy (r
.rheu·ma·tol·o·gist (r
m. An advisory scientific committee last week unanimously recommended Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of Fosamax Fos·a·max (f
s
-m
ks, a phosphate-based drug that will become the first available non-hormonal treatment for 20 million osteoporosis patients. The hormones estrogen and calcitonin calcitonin /cal·ci·to·nin/ (-to´nin) a polypeptide hormone secreted by C cells of the thyroid gland, and sometimes of the thymus and parathyroids, which lowers calcium and phosphate concentration in plasma and inhibits bone resorption. Preparations (c.-human, c.-salmon) are used in the treatment of osteitis deformans, postmenopausal osteoporosis, and hypercalcemia. are the only medications now available. "Thousands of South Florida patients will benefit from this new drug when its becomes available in several months," said Dr. Joseph Forstot, a board-certified rheumatologist and member of Rheumatology Associates of South Florida. With offices in Boca Raton, Delray, Boynton and Pompano Beach, Rheumatology Associates serves more than 21,000 patients, the largest such practice in Florida.
"There are many osteoporosis patients who simply can't tolerate hormones, and others who still have a fear of cancer from hormone therapy," Forstot said. "For these patients, Fosamax provides an excellent alternative. However, the new drug does not provide the benefits of hormone therapy, such as preventing heart disease, elimination of hot flashes and reducing strokes."
Rheumatology Associates, which operates the Osteoporosis Diagnostic and Treatment Center in Boca Raton, has already begun a study on how Fosamax affects patients on cortisone cortisone /cor·ti·sone/ (-son) a natural glucocorticoid that is metabolically convertible to cortisol; the acetate ester is used as an antiinflammatory and immunosuppressant and for replacement therapy in adrenocortical insufficiency.
cor·ti·sone . The study was authorized by the drug's manufacturer, Merck and Co.
The drugs presently used to treat osteoporosis are calcitonin (Calcimar) and etrodinate (Didronel Di·dro·nel (d
-dr
n). Calcitonin is a thyroid hormone thyroid hormone
n.
administered by injection. It is given three to seven times per week for a three to six months period (nasal spray calcitonin is awaiting FDA approval). Etrodinate (Didronel), a biphosphonate drug used for over 25 years for Paget James 1814-1899.
A hormone, especially thyroxine or triiodothyronine, produced by the thyroid gland.
British surgeon and pathologist who discovered (1834) the parasitic worm that causes trichinosis, described (1874) Paget's disease of the breast, and identified (1877) osteitis deformans.
Fosamax is similar to Didronel in that it works directly on the metabolism of bone to stop former bone mass loss and has been shown to increase bone density when used over years.
"Switching our patients from Didronel to Fosamax will not be a problem," said Forstot. "Fosamax, the next generation of biphosphonates, will have a big impact on osteoporosis treatment."
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