[Drug therapy of secondary osteoporosis: glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis].

Only bisphosphonates have reliable evidence to decrease the risk of vertebral fractures in patients taking glucocorticoids. Relative risk at 1 year treatment with bisphosphonates for incident vertebral fractures and non-vertebral fractures were 0.46 (95% confidence interval: 0.28-0.77) and 0.77 (95% confidence interval: 0.39-1.51), respectively. Two year extension of the alendronate trial showed that relative risk for incident vertebral fractures was 0.10 (95% confidence interval: 0.01-0.90). The bisphosphonates have been recommended as first-line drugs and active vitamin D3 and vitamin K2 have been recommended as second-line drugs in Japanese guidelines on the management and treatment of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis of The Japanese Society for Bone and Mineral Research (2004 edition).