The Effects Of Atorvastatin As An Adjuvant For Osteoporosis On Bone Metabolism And Pain In Elderly Patients With Osteoporosis

Objective: To study the effects of atorvastatin as an adjuvant in the treatment of elderly patients with osteoporosis, and its effect on bone metabolism, pain and other biochemical parameters. Methods: We recruited 108 elderly patients with osteoporosis for this study and recorded their baseline characteristics. All participants were randomized into the experiment group (n=54) or the control group (n=54). The control group received only alendronate sodium, while the experiment group received alendronate sodium and atorvastatin. The efficacies of the drugs in the two groups were measured using bone metabolic markers, recording bone mineral densities (BMDs) at different skeletal sites, and quantifying inflammatory cytokines and pain. The adverse effects on the two groups were also compared. All the parameters were recorded at baseline and at 6 months after treatment. Results: Compared with the control group, the experiment group had a significantly higher clinical effective rate (P<0.05). At month 6, the levels of osteoprotegerin, bone alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin, N-MID osteocalcin, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D were significantly increased in both groups compared with the levels at baseline, and they were significantly higher in the experiment group compared with the levels in the control group (all P<0.05). At month 6, BMDs at the femoral neck, femur, trochanter, lumber spine, and forearm were significantly increased in both groups compared with at the BMDs at baseline, and they were significantly higher in the experiment group compared with the levels in the control group (both P<0.01). The serum levels of IL-6 and the VAS (Visual analogue scale) and FPS-R (Faces pain scale revised) scores were significantly lower in both groups compared with the scores at baseline (P<0.01), and the scores were significantly lower in the experiment group compared with those in the control group (P<0.01). No statistical differences were observed between the groups in the occurrence of adverse effects (P>0.05). Conclusion: The combined use of alendronate sodium and atorvastatin in the treatment of elderly patients with osteoporosis can significantly improve the patients' conditions, alleviate inflammatory responses and pain, normalize bone metabolism, and increase BMDs at different skeletal sites compared with the use of alendronate sodium alone.