[Antiatherogenic actions of etidronate on atherosclerosis].

Bisphosphonates including etidronate have been suggested to have antiatherogenic actions in experimental animals or in vitro. However, there has been no report indicating that bisphosphonates have antiatherogenic actions in humans. We have recently reported that etidronate, one of the bisphosphonates, decreased the intima-media thickness in subjects with type 2 diabetes, indicating a possibility that etidronate may have antiatherogenic action in humans.