Hypocalcemia response following calcitonin administration: lack of correlation with osteoclast number determined after histoenzymologic identification in osteoporosis.

The relationship between calcitonin-induced hypocalcemia and histomorphometric parameters of bone resorption was examined in iliac crest biopsies of 30 osteoporotic patients aged 55-86 years all of whom had received a single injection of 100 UI of salmon calcitonin. Number of osteoclasts and active resorption surfaces were determined after histoenzymologic staining based on osteoclastic tartrate resistant acid phosphatase content. No significant correlation could be demonstrated between the drop of hypocalcemia and the different histomorphometric parameters. It can be concluded that the calcitonin test is useless in osteoporosis.