Comparison of the effects of calcium carbonate and ossein-hydroxyapatite complex on back and knee pain and quality of life in osteopenic perimenopausal women.

Background: Back and knee pain (BP; KP), which often accompanies osteoporosis, is a prevalent health problem affecting quality of life (QoL) in middle-aged women.

Aim: To compare the effects of calcium carbonate (CC) and ossein-hydroxyapatite complex (OHC) on BP and KP and QoL in perimenopausal osteopenic women.

Subjects: 74 perimenopausal women were randomized to receive 1,200 mg/day of CC (n=38) or 1,660 mg/day of OHC (n=36) for 6 months.

Methods: This was a randomized, open-label, parallel-group, controlled, prospective study. Back and knee basal pain was recorded using a visual analogue scale (VAS) at each control and exercise-induced pain was recorded using a visual rating system (VRS). Changes in QoL were evaluated using the SF-36 questionnaire.

Results: In patients treated with OHC, mean VAS and VRS pain scores decreased significantly after 5 and 6 months of treatment, indicating a significant analgesic effect. In the CC group, however, changes were minor and non-significant. Two-way analysis of variance using treatment group and time as independent variables revealed a significantly greater effect of OHC over CC on VAS and VRS scores. SF-36 showed significant improvement for OHC on the physical component summary score and no changes for CC. Responses to items assessing emotional and social aspects of QoL showed only a significant improvement in vitality for OHC and no significant changes for CC in any of the four dominions constituting the SF-36 mental component.

Conclusion: OHC has a significant analgesic effect and improves the physical component of QoL to a greater extent than CC.