Therapy of steroid-induced bone loss in adult asthmatics with calcium, vitamin D, and a diphosphonate.

In a prospective, controlled, and randomized clinical trial, we examined the effects of treatment with vitamin D (1,000 IU/d), calcium (1 g/d), and ethane-1-hydroxy-1,1-diphosphonate (EHDP; 7.5 mg/kg body weight) on vertebral bone mass in fourteen asthmatics undergoing long-term treatment with systemically applied corticosteroids. The extent of steroid-induced bone loss was judged by vertebral bone density of the lumbar spine measured by dual-photon absorptiometry as well as by vertebral crush fracture incidence examined by conventional X-ray.