Comparison of alendronate vs alendronate plus mechanical loading as prophylaxis for osteoporosis in lung transplant recipients: a pilot study.

Background: Osteoporosis is known to complicate outcomes after lung transplantation (Tx).

Methods: To determine the efficacy of bisphosphonate therapy combined with the osteogenic stimulus of mechanical loading, 30 lung transplant recipients (LTRs) were randomly assigned either to alendronate (10 mg/day; n = 10), alendronate (10 mg/day) + resistance exercise (n = 10) or to a control group (n = 10). Alendronate was initiated at 7 days after Tx.