Oral bisphosphonates in a postmenopausal population: a systemic review study

Chia-Chi Chu, Hirofumi Haga

Campbelltown Hospital, Campbelltown, Sydney, NSW, Australia

Background: Osteoporosis is a debilitating disease that contributes to 1.5 million fractures per annum among women in the USA. The aim of this systemic review study was to determine the effects of oral bisphosphonates in preventing osteoporotic fractures in postmenopausal women.
Methods: A literature search was performed of the MEDLINE^®, Embase, and CENTRAL databases. Three types of oral bisphosphonates were identified for the study: alendronate, risedronate, and ibandronate. The chief outcome measure was the incidence of fractures in postmenopausal women.
Results: Five randomized controlled studies were included in the meta-analysis. A total of 9,941 patients received oral bisphosphonate, while 5,956 patients received a placebo. The overall risk ratio for all fracture events was 0.73 (confidence interval: 0.66–0.81) There was no significant increased risk for upper gastrointestinal side effects in patients taking bisphosphonates (odds ratio: 1.00; confidence interval: 0.92–1.08).
Conclusion: Oral bisphosphonates are associated with a statistically significant reduction in fracture risk in postmenopausal women. Adverse effects were similar for both placebo and oral bisphosphonates.

Keywords: osteoporosis, fractures, alendronate, risedronate, ibandronate, fracture risk