Can the increase of bone mineral density following bisphosphonates treatments be explained by biomechanical considerations?
OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized that bone mineral density increase following bisphosphonates treatments may be explained by the influence of the drug on the mechanical bone remodeling parameters. BACKGROUND: Patients treated with bisphosphonates continuously increase their bone mineral density. This increase is explained in the first 12-18 months following the treatment by the filling of the transient remodeling deficit. Recently, results of a clinical study of alendronate treatment over 7 years still show a continuous increase of bone mineral density. These results raised several questions regarding our understanding of bisphosphonates mode of action. METHODS: Bone remodeling is influenced by different factors including mechanical forces. In the present study, we propose then to consider the effect of bisphosphonates also under biomechanical considerations. RESULTS: Identification of the model with the clinical data showed that daily treatment of 10 and 20 mg alendronate decreased the bone
