Oral administration of alendronate in addition to vitamin D3 led to remarkable improvement within 2 years, not only in clinical symptoms, such as radial bone fractures and lumbar pain, but also in parameters for osteopenia, including decreased bone mineral density of the lumbar spine (P<0.01), decreased concentrations of calcium (P<0.05), increased urine levels of deoxypyridinoline (P<0.01), increased serum levels of bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (P<0.01), increased serum levels of osteocalcin (P<0.01), and increased serum levels of intact parathyroid hormone (P<0.05), although body weight did not alter.
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